The aircraft’s official rollout is scheduled to take place later this year before it is delivered to Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas. There, it will be used to train Finnish Air Force personnel, making Finland the second country after Poland to use this U.S.-based training centre.
Here is Finland’s first F-35A multi-role fighter, aircraft JF-501, on Lockheed Martin’s production line in Fort Worth. In total, the first three 🇫🇮 F-35 fighters are in final assembly.
📷 @LockheedMartin / Chris Hanoch
#ilmavoimat #F35Programme #F35 #JF501 @thef35 pic.twitter.com/EDocBnK9Pp— Ilmavoimat (@FinnishAirForce) June 26, 2025
Finland signed a government-to-government Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) with the United States in February 2022 to purchase 64 F-35A Lightning II fighters. Deliveries of the Block 4 standard aircraft are expected between 2025 and 2030.
The F-35A will replace the ageing fleet of Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters currently operated by Finland. The agreement also benefits the Finnish economy, as local industry has been integrated into the global F-35 supply chain.
