Finland receives two additional F-35A fighter jets

Two new F-35A Lightning II multirole fighter jets, identified as JF-509 and JF-511, arrived at the Lapland Air Base in Rovaniemi on October 23, 2026. This delivery brings the total number of F-35A aircraft received by Finland to four out of a planned 64.

Aircraft JF-509 departed from the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 20. During the transit flight, the group stopped at the Lajes Air Base in the Azores, Portugal, where it was joined by JF-511. JF-511 had remained in the Azores since September to undergo repairs for a minor avionics fault.

As part of the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, the aircraft remain under U.S. control during transit and are flown by American pilots. Upon arrival in Finland, the jets will undergo airworthiness and acceptance inspections by the Finnish Defence Forces. Once individual airworthiness certificates are issued, the aircraft will be officially handed over to Finnish control and made available for training.