US Marine fighters to visit Karelia Air Command in June

Karelia Air Command will host a squadron-level visit of the United States Marine Corps’ (USMC) F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters and KC-130 tanker, and transport aircraft at Rissala Air Base on 2 to 20 June, said the Finnish Air Force in a press release on Friday.

The visiting detachment consists of 10 F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 (VMFA-115), accompanied by one or two KC-130 tanker and transport aircraft from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 (VMGR-452).

VMFA-115 is based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort (MCAS Beaufort), South Carolina, and VMGR-452 operates from Stewart Air National Guard Base (Stewart ANGB), New York. The total strength of the detachment arriving in Finland is around 250 Marines.

The USMC detachment was originally scheduled to participate in the Arctic Challenge Exercise 21 (ACE 21) at Rovaniemi Air Base. Organised every second year by the Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian air forces, the ACE is one of the largest live air exercises in Europe. In 2021, the exercise will be led by the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exercise will be conducted with precautionary measures that limit the number of participants at Rovaniemi, Bodø, and Luleå air bases.

The squadron-level visit is part of the bilateral defence cooperation between Finland and the United States. The Finnish Air Force has had wide-ranging cooperation with the United States Navy and Marine Corps since the procurement of F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters which were initially designed for operation from aircraft carriers.

The cooperation between the Finnish Air Force and the USMC includes, for example, reciprocal exchange of F/A-18 flight instructors. The last time the USMC F/A-18s visited Finland was in May-June 2019 when the aircraft took part in the Bold Quest 19.1 and ACE 19 exercises.

During the upcoming visit hosted by the Karelia Air Command's Fighter Squadron 31, Finnish and USMC F/A-18s will fly training missions focused on air combat. In addition, some waves will include air-to-air refuelling training. The Finnish Air Force will participate in the training missions with ten F/A-18s and four Hawk jet trainers. The squadron-level visit provides an opportunity to enhance fighter tactics and interoperability as well as to share best practices with another F/A-18 squadron.

Due to the squadron-level visit, daily flight operations will be more intensive than usual in the training areas used by the Karelia Air Command on weekdays from 2 to 18 June 2021 between 8 am and 5 pm.

Training missions will mostly take place within a distance of 200 kilometres from the Rissala Air Base. In addition, some of the waves will be flown with Lapland Air Command's F/A-18s in the area between Kajaani and Rovaniemi.

USMC equipment and personnel will arrive in Finland in phases from mid-May, with the main unit arriving at the Rissala Air Base during the last week of May.

As a COVID-19 precaution, the Marines will be quarantined prior to their arrival in Finland, and they will have to take COVID-19 tests both in the country of departure and in Finland.

The personnel involved in flight operations will be divided into smaller groups and physical interaction between the groups will be minimised in line with the COVID-19 safety measures.

Conscripts serving at the Karelia Air Command will participate in hosting the visit by performing their daily duties at the Rissala Air Base. Reservists will not be involved in the squadron-level visit.