Finnish Air Force to participate in Frisian Flag 23 live air exercise in Netherlands
The Finnish Air Force is set to participate in the Frisian Flag 23 live air exercise in Netherlands with two F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighter jets on September 29 to October 13.
Frisian Flag is an international live air exercise hosted by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The aim of the exercise is to practice multinational mixed fighter operations against wide variety of airborne and ground based threats. As for the Finnish Air Force, the aim is to train interoperability between 4th and 5th generation fighters, expand the Finnish Air Force’s know-how on the F-35s, as well as assess the effect of the upcoming F-35s on the Finnish Air Force’s operations. In addition, the goal is to test operating abroad with a minimum footprint.
The exercise will involve some forty aircraft from Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The exercise missions will be flown in the Dutch, Danish and German airspace. The Finnish Hornet detachment will operate out of the Dutch air base in Leeuwarden. The participating Finnish detachment will be from the Satakunta Air Wing and its Air Combat Centre.
The exercise will be carried out by cadre. The Finnish Air Force’s participation in the exercise is a part of the 2023 international training and exercise activity of the Finnish Defence Forces, approved by the Finnish Ministry of Defence. The Finnish Air Force has participated in the Frisian Flag exercises since 2001.
More information: Detachment Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Juuso Ilkka, tel. 0299 800 (switchboard).
You can read more on the exercise on its website.
