Two US Air Force (USAF) F-35A Lightning II aircraft made a historic first when the pair executed a highway landing in Finland during the Baana 24 exercises.
The milestone occurred on September 4, 2024, the first day of the Finnish Air Force’s annual road base exercise. The flight operations of the Baana 24 exercise began on September 2, 2024, and ran until midnight on September 5, 2024. It also involved the Finnish Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, Hawk jet trainers, and German Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
The Finnish Air Force regularly trains outside its main operating bases in order to have the capability to quickly disperse aircraft across Finland, if necessary.
“Readiness to operate out of a dispersed base network is part of the Finnish Air Force’s mobile battle concept, and operating at road bases is part of the flight training for all Finnish fighter pilots,” the Finnish Government said in a statement.
The F-35A Lightning II aircraft were assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing in RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, the largest USAF-operated base in the UK.
The austere landing demonstrates advancements in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance’s ability to perform operations under the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept, forgoing the need for pre-established facilities vulnerable to enemy attacks.
“The successful first-ever landing of our fifth-generation F-35 on a highway in Europe is a testament to the growing relationship and close interoperability we have with our Finnish allies,” said Gen. James Hecker, Commander, USAF in Europe – Air Forces Africa.
“The opportunity to learn from our Finnish counterparts improves our ability to rapidly deploy and employ airpower from unconventional locations and reflects the collective readiness and the agility of our forces,” Hecker said.
US Airmen have been provided significant opportunities to learn from their Finnish counterparts since Finland’s accession to NATO in 2023.
In 2023, the Baana exercise hosted the Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35s and Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons. As part of the 2023 exercise, the regional road 551 which connects Karttula and Tervo in central Finland was closed to establish a road base.