Air Force Pilot Flies F-35A Multi-Role Fighter for the First

Finland's F-35 capability deployment reached a significant milestone on April 15, when an Air Force pilot flew the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II for the first time. The flight began at 2:17 p.m.  local time on a JF-502 aircraft from Ebbing Air Force Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where the practical portion of Finnish personnel's initial F-35 training is conducted.

– It was great to finally fly the F-35 after months of theory and simulator training. The aircraft’s performance was impressive right from the takeoff roll, as the afterburner accelerated the aircraft to take-off speed at full power. The controls felt easy and intuitive throughout the flight. This is a good feature, as it allows the pilot to focus primarily on completing the task at hand rather than just flying the aircraft. After the flight, it was great to see the Finnish and American sections working at the Ebbing base on the apron. This was a great reminder of the great work that many different personnel groups have put in leading up to this maiden flight, says the pilot who flew the aircraft.

In February 2026, the Air Force's first instructor section began the theoretical and simulator portion of F-35 initial training at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The instructor, who was the first Finn to fly the F-35, describes the portion as busy and intense, but also rewarding. 

– The training has progressed at a steady pace and there is certainly still plenty to learn long after the initial training. At this stage, the training has covered not only type and emergency procedures training, but also tactical flight operations, where we have been able to delve deeper into the new capabilities that the F-35 has brought to the Finnish Air Defence. The US instructors have been experienced, knowledgeable and clearly also used to working with foreign students, he describes.

A total of approximately 150 Finns will receive initial F-35 training in the United States. Of these, approximately 20 are instructors, and their group training in the United States will continue until early 2028.

The Finnish pilot, who flew the JF-502,  has extensive experience flying the F/A-18 Hornet, and has also served as a Hornet flight instructor. Before starting F-35 initial training, he worked on Hornet test flight projects. 

– As a test pilot, I am of course trained to fly new aircraft types without extensive type training, but the single-seat nature of the F-35 added a unique element of excitement to the first flight. Unlike when flying the Hornet for the first time, you cannot have an instructor with you in the F-35. This highlighted the importance of simulator training and it was nice to see that training in the simulator prepared you well for the first flight.

A total of eight Air Force F-35A fighters (JF-501–JF-508) have now been delivered to the Ebbing base, and they will remain at the base for training use until early 2028. Personnel from the Air Force and the Defence Forces Logistics Department will conduct airworthiness and acceptance checks on each Finnish F-35A fighter before the aircraft can begin flying. Once the checks have been successfully completed, each aircraft will be issued with an individual airworthiness certificate, after which the aircraft will be available for flight training. Aircraft with fuselage numbers from JF-509 onwards will be delivered directly to Finland starting this autumn. 

The first Finnish F-35 fighters will be flown to Rovaniemi for the Lapland Air Force in autumn 2026. The initial operational capability of the F-35 system will be achieved in early 2028, when the Lapland Air Force will have adopted the F-35 and will operate exclusively with it. During 2028, the Karelian Air Force will receive its first F-35 fighters. Full operational capability with the F-35 will be achieved by the end of 2030, until which time the Air Force will operate in parallel with the F/A-18 and F-35A fleet.