Finland is the second nation to conduct its military personnel training cycle at the Ebbing training center. According to the Finnish Air Force, the start of training flights by Finnish pilots is planned for the spring. Soldiers from Germany and Singapore are also expected to join the Finnish and Polish contingents in Fort Smith in the near future.
Today, 18 February, Finland’s second F-35A multirole fighter, JF-502, arrived at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Fort Smith, Arkansas.🇫🇮🇺🇸#ilmavoimat #F35hanke #F35programme #F35 @Puolustusvoimat @EbbingANGB @LockheedMartin @thef35 @theF35JPO @NATO_AIRCOM pic.twitter.com/PXB29M5lDy
— Ilmavoimat (@FinnishAirForce) February 18, 2026
Finland ordered 64 F-35A Lightning II aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales procedure. The intergovernmental Letter of Offer and Acceptance was approved in February 2022, and deliveries are scheduled for 2025–2030, making Finland the thirteenth country to begin operating aircraft from the F-35 family.
Within the structure of the Finnish military aviation, the F-35A Lightning II will replace the currently operated Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet multirole combat aircraft. In the competitive procurement process, the offer submitted by Lockheed Martin prevailed over its competitors.
As a result of the selection, the Finnish defense industry has been integrated into the F-35 component co-production network. Among other commitments, Patria is to manufacture and deliver up to 400 forward fuselage structures for aircraft of the F-35 family.
