ADEX Mallet Strike 2/25 will enhance Finland’s and NATO’s air defence capabilities

The international air defence exercise ADEX Mallet Strike 2/25 will be organized in the Lohtaja Firing Range and Training Area from 11 to 20 November 2025.

The exercise will start with a live-fire phase which will be conducted from 11 to 15 November. This is followed by a combat phase from 16 to 20 November. About 1,300 personnel from the Finnish Army and Air Force as well all the Finnish brigade-level units that provide training in ground-based air defence will participate in the exercise. The UK and Sweden will participate as NATO allies. 

The vehicles and personnel from various brigade-level units across Finland will be travelling on the roads towards Lohtaja on Tuesday, 11 November. They will return to their brigade-level units on Thursday, 20 November. The detachments moving on the roads will be advancing at a speed of 60-80 km/h. Other road users should be prepared for slower traffic than usual. 

The live-fire phase will be conducted using the Army anti-air weapons (surface-to-air missiles ITO90M, ITO05, ITO05M, anti-aircraft guns 35ITK88 and 23ITK61/95 and heavy machine gun). In addition, the UK will use its Starstreak missile system. In addition to the radar and weapon systems, the equipment used in the exercise will include around 400 vehicles, 20 aircraft, two helicopters as well as the Army and Air Force drones. During the combat phase, observation of air targets using optical instruments is forbidden for reasons of eye safety.

ADEX Mallet Strike is the most important exercise of the ground-based air defence units. Its objective is to improve reservists’, conscripts’ and personnel’s skills in various air defence tasks. The exercise will focus on units using anti-air weapons and their ability to intercept targets in different scenarios and in the challenging operating environment of electronic warfare. The main goal of multinational activities is to enhance interoperability in ground-based air defence and cooperation with the allies. 

The exercise is led by Finnish Inspector of the Ground-Based Air Defence, Colonel Mano-Mikael Nokelainen.

The Finnish ground-based air defence, as a branch, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.   Its significance to all air defence units will be underlined in ADEX Mallet Strike 2025. 

– The international air defence exercise Mallet Strike is the most important exercise of ground-based air defence units, in which each and every conscript in air defence training gets to fire or observe firings and practise their skills in the most challenging training environment possible. The Finnish weather in November adds to the challenge, for participants and equipment alike.  Furthermore, since 2023, our Allies have brought some international flavour to the exercise. Interoperability can only be achieved through common, multinational exercises. I believe the exercise will be a memorable and instructive experience for all participants, the Exercise Director, Colonel Mano-Mikael Nokelainen says.

For more information about ADEX Mallet Strike exercises (in Finnish):