Finnish Air Force to cooperate more closely with F-35 users

Finland is deepening cooperation with Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States in F-35A Lightning II flight operations, cross-servicing and armament sharing, said Finnish Defence Forces in a press release on Thursday.

Last year, Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium signed the “Capacity on Call” Memorandum of Understanding, which enables the pooling and sharing of F-35 fighter jets, personnel and munitions among the participating air forces.

The United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) participate in the cooperation through a separate agreement.

The objective of the cooperation is to enable the effective and flexible use of F-35 fighter jets, pilots, mechanics, and weapon systems among NATO Allies.

The ability to pool and share resources strengthens interoperability within the European F-35 user community.

Finland participated in Interfly activity for the first time at Ørland Air Base in Norway on 17 September 2026.

F-35 pilots from Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States flew a six-nation mission with Norwegian and Dutch fighter jets in connection with WIC 26 flight operations. This marked the first time a Finnish pilot flew an F-35 in Europe.

“The multinational mission conducted in Norway is a concrete step towards even closer cooperation with European F-35 users. For Finland, this cooperation will gradually develop and become part of our daily operations as the new F-35s enter service. The flexible use of F-35 fighter jets, personnel and weapon systems among Allies will strengthen both Finland’s national defence and NATO’s collective defence in the future,” said Colonel Vesa Mäntylä, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Force Command Finland.