Finland will deploy the F-35 near the Arctic Circle

Finland is preparing to deploy F-35 fighter jets in the city of Rovaniemi.

This was stated by the Lapland Air Command.

Rovaniemi is the administrative center of Lapland.

“We are ready! The Air Force’s F-35 fleet will be first commissioned to the Lapland Air Force in Rovaniemi in 2026,” the statement reads.

Olemme valmiit! Ilmavoimien F-35-kalusto otetaan käyttöön ensimmäisenä Lapin lennostossa Rovaniemellä vuonna 2026. Ilmavoimien komentajana 1.6. aloittava prikaatikenraali Juha-Pekka Keränen kertoi asiasta tänään vaihtokatselmuksessa Tikkakoskella. #ilmavoimat #laplsto #f35 pic.twitter.com/9u3UIwILjP

— Lapin lennosto – Lapland Air Wing (@Laplsto) May 27, 2022

As previously reported, in February 2022, Finland signed an agreement to purchase 64 F-35 multirole fighters.

Antti Kaikkonen, Finnish Defense Minister has signed an agreement on industrial cooperation in Helsinki.

The agreement was signed with Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of fighter jets, and Pratt & Whitney, part of the Raytheon Technologies group, manufacturer of engines.

The country’s commitment to industrial participation is based on a decision made by the Minister of Defense in April 2018, which commits that the cost of industrial cooperation must account for at least 30 percent of the actual contract price.