Finland ordered 64 F-35A jets through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, with the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LoA) signed in February 2022. Deliveries are scheduled between 2025 and 2030, with the first aircraft initially stationed at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith for Finnish Air Force personnel training.
.@FinnishAirForce‘s first F-35 has moved out of final assembly! 🇫🇮✈️ Here’s a behind-the-scenes glimpse at this important milestone. pic.twitter.com/CBvuev6D7K
— Lockheed Martin Europe (@LMEuropeNews) October 29, 2025
This training approach will see Finnish crews join their Polish counterparts already present at the facility. The F-35A will replace Finland’s current fleet of Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet multirole fighters.
Lockheed Martin’s offer won Finland’s fighter competition, surpassing rival bids. As part of the programme, Finnish defence industry will participate in F-35 component co-production, with Patria expected to manufacture up to 400 forward fuselage assemblies.
