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The Air Forces of Finland, Norway and Sweden will host multinational Arctic Challenge Exercise 2023 from 29 May to 9 June 2023. More than one 150 aircraft from 14 nations will participate in the air exercise carried out in the airspace over the northern areas of the host countries.

20.2.2026 | The Finnish Defence Forces will participate this spring’s key arctic exercise series during 9.–20.3.2026. The Norwegian-led Cold Response 26 -exercise will convene up to c. 7,500 soldiers in Finland and c. 25,000 soldiers in Norway from altogether 14 nations. In Finland, the exercise activity will focus on the Finnish Defence Forces’ exercise area at Rovajärvi but forces will be on the move across northern Finland.

20.2.2026 | The Norway-led exercise will take place in March 2026.

The Finnish Air Force is one of the oldest aerial warfare service branches in the world to operate without interruption since its establishment in 1918.

16.12.2025 | Finland’s first F-35A multirole fighter, designated JF-501, was presented to the public at a rollout ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Fort Worth on 16 December.

9.6.2025 | 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.

22.4.2025 | Lapland Air Wing hosts a detachment of three French Air and Space Force Mirage 2000 fighter jets at Rovaniemi Air Base between 22 and 30 April 2025.

7.10.2024 | The Royal Air Force’s Cobra Warrior exercise ended on Friday 4 October. Some of the Finnish fighter jets will remain at RAF Waddington to take part in the air operations of the Royal Navy's Strike Warrior exercise, starting on 14 October 2024.

Publications The Military Aviation Authority Finland issues military aviation regulations, advisories and notices. The regulatory publications translated into English are highlighted and linked in the table below. Military aviation regulations Ide...

29.3.2023 | Four Finnish F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters will train together with NATO Baltic Air Policing detachments and visit Ämari Air Base in Estonia on 29 March 2023.

The Finnish Air Force's Five Units The Finnish Air Force is composed of the Air Force Command, the Air Force Academy – the service branch school – and three operational air wings: the Lapland Air Wing, the Karelia Air Wing, and the Satakunta Air W...

As a Conscript in Karelia Air Wing In Karelia Air Wing the main responsibility of the conscript training is in the Force Protection Flight. The annual number of conscripts in the Force Protection Flight varies between 220 and 240. The main trainin...

5.5.2023 | The Arctic Challenge Exercise from 29 May to 9 June is one of the Europe's largest live air exercises. The exercise will be led by Finland.

7.12.2022 | Finnish F/A-18 Hornets will train together with Swedish JAS 39 Gripens, French Rafales, Polish F-16s, and a U.S. KC-46A Pegasus air-to-air refueling tanker on 7‒8 December 2022.

5.5.2023 | The Arctic Challenge Exercise from 29 May to 9 June is one of the Europe's largest live air exercises. The exercise will be led by Finland.

10.12.2021 | The Government of Finland has 10 December 2021 authorised the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command to sign a procurement contract with the Government of the United States on Finland’s next multi-role fighter. The fighter replacing the Hornet fleet’s capability is the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II.

International co-operation is a part of the daily activities of the Air Force. The objective of co-operation is to share information and expertise with the key actors in the Air Force’s operating environment and to create opportunities for cost-effective training in the service’s main tasks.

27.4.2018 | On 27 April 2018, the Finnish Defence Forces' Logistics Command sent a Request for Quotation (RFQ) concerning the HX Fighter Programme to the governments of Great Britain, France, Sweden and the United States to be forwarded to the five companies who responded to the requests for information.

21.5.2019 | ACE 19 air exercise hosted by the Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian air forces will commence on Wednesday 22 May. More than 100 aircraft and several hundred personnel from nine nations will take part. The units in the exercise will mainly be located at the air bases of Bodø in Norway, Kallax in Sweden, and Rovaniemi in Finland.

9.5.2019 | The Swedish, Finnish and Royal Norwegian Air Forces will host the fourth multinational Arctic Challenge Exercise from 22 May to 4 June 2019.