Finland to host the Atlantic Trident 25 exercise and NATO RQ-4 aircraft in summer 2025

The Finnish Air Force will host the multinational Atlantic Trident 25 exercise and the deployment of NATO RQ-4D Phoenix remotely piloted aircraft to Finland in summer 2025.

Atlantic Trident 25 – The United States, the United Kingdom and France supporting Finland together

Atlantic Trident is a trilateral air exercise series jointly conducted by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. Usually held every two years, this year’s iteration marks the first time the exercise takes place outside these three nations. In the Atlantic Trident 25 exercise, hosted by Finland, the Finnish, U.S., British and French Air Forces will jointly develop Agile Combat Employment tactics, techniques and procedures, as well as aircraft cross-servicing and integration among 4th and 5th generation fighter jets.

‒ Finland is a part of NATO’s network of air bases, so we must be prepared to receive Allied reinforcements. We are at the forefront within NATO when it comes to Agile Combat Employment, but close integration with Allies is still relatively new to us. Reception of Allied forces requires robust planning, coordination, and leadership. In the Atlantic Trident 25 exercise, our key Allies ‒ the United States, the United Kingdom, and France ‒ will deploy significant capabilities to Finland. We will train air operations and C2 together, thereby also strengthening NATO’s collective defence and deterrence, says Colonel Vesa Mäntylä, Exercise Director and Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Force Command Finland.

In addition to enhancing the integration of 4th and 5th generation fighter jets, the exercise will also focus on training aircraft cross-servicing capabilities and airfield damage repair (ADR) techniques. Aircraft cross-servicing capability means that technicians from different nations are able to service each other’s fighter jets. The objective of airfield damage repair is to restore the operations of an air base as rapidly as possible following an enemy strike.

All Finnish Air Force units to participate in Atlantic Trident 25

Atlantic Trident 25 will take place from 16 to 27 June 2025, involving all the Finnish Air Force’s main operating bases and the Halli forward operating base in Jämsä. In addition to Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, participating aircraft include U.S. F-35A Lightning II and F-15E Strike Eagle jets and KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft; Typhoon jets from the Royal Air Force; as well as Rafale jets, an E-3F AWACS aircraft, and an A400M transport aircraft from France. The exercise will also involve NH90 helicopters and ground-based air defence units from the Finnish Army, as well as aircraft from Draken International, providing adversary air services. In total, the exercise includes more than 40 aircraft and approximately 1,000 personnel.

The exercise will be led from the Air Force Command Finland, located in Tikkakoski, Jyväskylä. U.S. and French fighter jets will be deployed to the Satakunta Air Wing’s Pirkkala Air Base, while the RAF Typhoons will operate from the Karelia Air Wing’s Rissala Air Base. U.S. KC-135 Stratotankers, the French E-3F AWACS, and the Draken International aircraft will operate from the Lapland Air Wing’s Rovaniemi Air Base. The Halli forward operating base in Jämsä will host airfield damage repair activity and hot-pit refuelling in line with Agile Combat Employment operations. Sapper units from all four participating nations will take part in the airfield damage repair activities. 

Flight operations will take place in the airspace bordering on Rovaniemi, Kuusamo, Kuopio, Jyväskylä, Tampere, and Oulu. Flying will occur on weekdays between 9 am and 5 pm, and on Midsummer Eve (20 June) from 9 am to noon.

NATO RQ-4 remotely piloted aircraft to operate from Satakunta Air Wing

NATO RQ-4D Phoenix remotely piloted aircraft, operated by the NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force (NISRF), will be deployed to the Satakunta Air Wing’s Pirkkala Air Base for approximately three weeks in June–July 2025. This will mark the first time NISRF aircraft operate from a Finnish air base. 

The NISRF RQ-4D aircraft are stationed at Sigonella Air Base in Italy, and have operated in Finnish airspace since September 2023 as part of the Finnish Defence Forces’ cooperation with Allies.

‒ The deployment and operation of NATO intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in Finland significantly enhances the joint situational awareness for both the Finnish Defence Forces and the whole Alliance. Hosting the RQ-4D aircraft at the Satakunta Air Wing provides the Finnish Air Force with an opportunity to develop interoperability with remotely piloted ISR aircraft, further strengthening both Finland’s national and NATO’s collective defence, says Colonel Mäntylä.

Read more about the NISRF and the RQ-4D remotely piloted aircraft: https://nisrf.nato.int/home