Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II is a single-engine multi-role fighter. The Government of Finland authorised the Finnish Defence Forces on 10 December 2021 to procure 64 F-35A fighters to replace the Finnish Air Force Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet fleet that will be phased out in 2030. The procurement is based on the defence administration HX Fighter Programme’s comprehensive procurement proposal.

To be delivered in 2026-30, the F-35As will be assigned to the Air Commands of the Finnish Air Force, where they will form the service’s main air asset. The F-35A fleet will be flown in peacetime training and air policing missions as well as Army, Navy and Air Force joint operations.

In times of crises, the F-35A multi-role fighters’ primary task is to protect the nation’s vital assets, civilians and the Finnish Defence Force troops against air attacks in coordination with ground and surface-based air defence and to execute offensive counterair operations to strengthen control of the air. Multi-role fighters also take part in the Defence Forces’ joint operations. They protect Army and Navy forces, support land and sea defence with air-to-ground and air-to-surface weapons, and contribute to generating and maintaining of the Defence Forces joint situational awareness as well as joint fires.

The F-35A’s modern versatile weapons suite with solid future growth potential gives it an excellent capability to strike air and surface targets in all conditions. Due to its versatile electronic and optical sensors, the F-35A provides comprehensive situational awareness of the battlefield with its threats, and displays it to the pilot in a visual form that enables quick decision-making. Networked systems allow sharing of situational awareness between multi-role aircraft and Army, Navy and Air Force units, which adds new dimensions to the cooperation in the Defence Forces joint operations.

Due to stealth and self-protection systems, the F-35 is able to be effective in the demanding scenarios of current and future battlefield settings taking initiative in high threat level counterair operations. The internal sensors, high fuel capacity and weapon bays enable flying many mission types without the radius and detectability impact of external weapon, sensor or fuel tank loads. When required by the mission, the F-35A’s wings can be equipped with six detachable racks for example for large air-to-ground weapons.

Apart from airfields, the F-35A can be deployed to operate from highway strips based on the road network in accordance with the Finnish Air Force dispersed operating concept.