Lockheed Martin said all major F-35 components are now manufactured in Europe. Its global program draws on more than 2,100 suppliers across more than a dozen countries.
Finnish production serves the global fleet
Patria began forward fuselage production in early March at its upgraded Halli facilities in Jämsä, Finland. Landing gear door production followed in spring 2026.
The company became the first manufacturer other than Lockheed Martin to produce the F-35 forward fuselage. Components made in Finland are delivered to Lockheed Martin’s final assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas.
Under its current framework agreement, Patria will manufacture 400 forward fuselages and landing gear door sets between 2026 and 2042. Production serves the global F-35 supply chain alongside Finland’s own order for 64 F-35A fighters.
The structural work requires expertise in maintaining the aircraft’s stealth characteristics during manufacturing, according to Petri Hepola, Patria’s chief program officer for F-35. He said Patria had received substantial technical knowledge from Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney for airframe production and engine assembly.
Engine assembly establishes a sustainment base
Patria completed its first F135 engine at its new Linnavuori facility in Nokia, Finland, and marked the milestone at an event on September 3, 2026. The company is responsible for initial engine assembly and subsequent maintenance, repair and overhaul in Finland.
Patria and Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, agreed on final assembly of the first engines in February 2026. Production is underway and is planned to continue until 2030, after which Linnavuori will support the engines throughout the Finnish fleet’s lifecycle.
“Patria’s part of the F-35 programme is progressing according to plan and has now entered full-scale production,” Hepola said. “The completion of the first F135 engine is a significant milestone and a strong start for F135 engine assembly in Finland.”
The Linnavuori facilities were built to meet U.S. government and Pratt & Whitney security requirements. A separate framework contract signed in 2024 covers F135 maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade operations.
“The production line will be adapted for engine maintenance activities, and the expertise being built today will strongly support the domestic security of supply for our F-35 fleet in the future,” said retired Col. Henrik Elo, the Finnish Air Force’s F-35 program director. Finland’s fleet lifecycle is projected to extend into the 2060s.
“Assembly of Finland’s first F135 engine marks an important milestone in strengthening the global F-35 sustainment network and expanding propulsion capability in Finland,” said Jill Albertelli, president of Pratt & Whitney Military Engines. “This capability will support the readiness and resilience of Finland’s F-35 fleet while strengthening the collective defence of Finland and its NATO allies.”
Workforce and technology transfer
The industrial cooperation package covers component manufacturing, engine assembly and maintenance under arrangements involving Finland’s Ministry of Defence, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney. Transfers of F-35-related information from the United States are subject to licensing and strict export controls.
Patria said in July that its F-35 program employed 120 people, with staffing expected to exceed 200 in the coming years. The F135 maintenance agreement alone is estimated to have a direct employment impact of approximately 50 people at Patria between 2025 and 2030.
The company’s work builds on its experience assembling General Electric engines for Finland’s F/A-18 Hornets. Patria has also supported the Hornet fleet through maintenance, structural repairs and lifecycle upgrades.
Twenty allied nations have selected the F-35, including 13 in Europe, according to Lockheed Martin. The company reports more than 1,375 aircraft operational worldwide and over one million accumulated flight hours.
F-35s operate from 42 bases, with 13 nations operating the aircraft on their own territory. Lockheed Martin links that international fleet and its industrial network to interoperability and shared deterrence among allies.
