Finnish Air Force to cooperate more closely with European F-35 users
Finland is deepening cooperation with Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States in F-35A Lightning II flight operations, cross-servicing and armament sharing.
Last year, Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium signed the “Capacity on Call” Memorandum of Understanding, which enables the pooling and sharing of F-35 fighter jets, personnel and munitions among the participating air forces. The United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) participate in the cooperation through a separate agreement.
The objective of the cooperation is to enable the effective and flexible use of F-35 fighter jets, pilots, mechanics, and weapon systems among NATO Allies. The ability to pool and share resources strengthens interoperability within the European F-35 user community.
The agreement covers three areas:
- Interfly ‒ pilots can fly F-35s from other participating nations
- Cross-servicing ‒ mechanics can refuel and conduct turnaround inspections for F-35s from other participating nations
- Armament sharing ‒ participating nations can share compatible missiles and bombs
From memorandum to practice
The agreement has been put into practice this year in connection with the flying phase of the Weapons Instructor Course (WIC) 26. Conducted every two years, WIC is a multinational course comprising both academic and flying phases. The Netherlands and Norway share responsibility for organising the course.
Under the “Capacity on Call” Memorandum of Understanding, Danish pilots participated in the flying phase of the course with Norwegian F-35s. The cooperation also extended to live-firing activities conducted during the course. Danish pilots dropped Danish bombs from Dutch fighter jets, while Norwegian F-35s fired Dutch AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.
First flight in Europe for a Finnish F-35 pilot
Finland participated in Interfly activity for the first time at Ørland Air Base in Norway on 17 September 2026. F-35 pilots from Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States flew a six-nation mission with Norwegian and Dutch fighter jets in connection with WIC 26 flight operations. This marked the first time a Finnish pilot flew an F-35 in Europe.
‒ The multinational mission conducted in Norway is a concrete step towards even closer cooperation with European F-35 users. For Finland, this cooperation will gradually develop and become part of our daily operations as the new F-35s enter service. The flexible use of F-35 fighter jets, personnel and weapon systems among Allies will strengthen both Finland’s national defence and NATO’s collective defence in the future, says Colonel Vesa Mäntylä, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Force Command Finland.
