Finland has received its first two permanently based F-35A fighters, marking the start of the aircraft’s introduction into Finnish service and the development of a domestic maintenance and sustainment ecosystem.
The Finnish Defence Forces have now received 10 of their 64 F-35A aircraft. Eight aircraft remain temporarily based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas, where Finnish pilots and maintenance personnel are undergoing training ahead of the fleet’s continued introduction into Finland.
Maintainer training is a key part of Finland’s F-35 transition. Around 150 Finnish personnel are undertaking initial F-35 training in the US, including approximately 80 maintenance personnel. Training also covers logistics, fleet management, information systems, mission support, flight equipment maintenance and ground equipment.
Patria builds Finnish F-35 engine MRO capability
Finland is also establishing domestic propulsion support for the F-35 through Patria. The company completed assembly of Finland’s first F135 engine at its Linnavuori facility in September 2026. Production is planned to continue through 2030, after which the facility will transition into F135 maintenance, repair and overhaul and sustainment activities for the Finnish F-35 fleet.
Patria and Pratt & Whitney signed a frame contract in 2024 covering F135 maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade operations. The programme is expected to provide direct employment for around 50 Patria personnel between 2025 and 2030.
The Linnavuori facility was completed in 2025 with the intention of initially supporting engine assembly before being adapted for maintenance and overhaul. The site is expected to support F135 maintenance throughout the lifecycle of Finland’s F-35 fleet.
Beyond engine support, Patria is participating in the wider F-35 industrial programme in Finland, including forward fuselage assembly and production of structural components. These activities are intended to establish Finnish industrial capability within the global F-35 supply and sustainment network.
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F-35 fleet transition creates long-term MRO requirements
The introduction of the F-35 represents a significant change in Finland’s military aircraft maintenance requirements as the new fleet gradually replaces the Finnish Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornets.
For maintenance organisations, the transition involves developing new technical expertise, tooling, logistics processes, data systems and component support arrangements alongside the aircraft’s advanced propulsion, avionics and mission systems.
The combination of US-based maintainer training and domestic industrial capability gives Finland a foundation for supporting the F-35 fleet as more aircraft arrive. With 64 aircraft planned, the programme will create long-term requirements for engine maintenance, airframe support, components, logistics and fleet sustainment.
The arrival of the first permanently based aircraft therefore marks not only the start of F-35 operations in Finland but also the beginning of a new phase in the country’s military aviation MRO infrastructure.
