U.S. and Norwegian F-35s to participate in Joint Fires training event in Finland

The Finnish Air Force will organise a Joint Fires training event from 19 to 22 August 2024 to research and develop the interoperability of Allied F-35s with Army and Navy weapon systems.

In addition to Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, the training event will involve two United States Air Force and two Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35A Lightning II jets, as well as Finnish Army and Finnish Navy weapon systems. The U.S. and Norwegian F-35s will operate from Satakunta Air Wing’s Pirkkala Air Base.

‒ In the future, F-35 fighter jets will provide significant new capabilities for Finland’s defence system as a whole. The fighter’s radar and other sensors will enable effective support for land and sea combat from the air, so the Air Force is working closely together with the other services and NATO allies on the F-35 programme. The objective of the Joint Fires training event is to verify the capability of Allied F-35s to provide targeting for the fires of Army and Navy weapon systems, says Colonel Tommi Heikkala, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Force Command Finland.

Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets will also fly Fighter Integration (FI) training missions with U.S. and Norwegian F-35s during the event, with the objective of developing the cooperation of fourth and fifth generation fighter jets. Fighter Integration aims to optimise the capabilities of two different generations of jets, building on the strengths of each. 

The flight operations of the training event will be flown from Pirkkala Air Base to training areas in Central Finland and the Gulf of Finland. 

More information: Colonel Tommi Heikkala, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Force Command Finland, tel. +358 299 800 (switchboard).