DefenseFirst Finnish F-35A completes maiden flight in Texas
The first F-35A for Finland, bearing serial number JF-501, carried out its inaugural flight on December 8 at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas.
This event initiates deliveries under Finland’s largest defense procurement, which aims to replace its legacy F/A-18 Hornet fleet with 64 F-35A fighters.
The aircraft was assembled over a period of one year and is scheduled for delivery as part of a phased introduction starting in 2026.
Initial deliveries will see the first eight Finnish F-35As sent to the Air National Guard Base in Ebbing, Arkansas for personnel training and operational preparation.
All Finnish F-35s will feature the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) upgrade, providing increased processing capacity and an open architecture approach.
The Finnish Air Force plans to operate the new fleet from two main bases: HävLLv 11 in Rovaniemi and Karelia Air Wing in Rissala.
Finland announced in 2021 that it would replace its F/A-18C/D fighter jets with the F-35A. The agreement provides for the supply of 64 fighter jets, as well as AMRAAM and Sidewinder missiles, in a package valued at 8.4 billion euros (US$ 9.5 billion).
The agreement also includes maintenance services until 2030 and which account for 2.9 billion euros of the package. The F-35A fighters will cost 4.7 billion euros, or 73.4 million euros ($83 million) per aircraft.
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