First Finnish F-35 takes to the skies under HX fighter program

Finland’s first fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet (JF-501) completed its maiden flight on December 9 in Fort Worth, Texas, marking almost exactly four years since Helsinki selected the F-35 as the winner of its national HX Fighter Program to replace ageing F/A-18s.

Finland ultimately opted for the F-35 from among several competitors, including Boeing’s F-15 Eagle and F/A-18 Super Hornet, France’s Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Sweden’s Saab JAS-39 Gripen, and Lockheed Martin’s F-16, and plans to fully replace its F/A-18s with 64 F-35s by 2030, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The first jet is scheduled to enter service with the Finnish Air Force in early 2026.

By the end of next year, the first batch of F-35s is expected to arrive at Lapland Air Wing, reaching initial operational capability by late 2027.

Karelia Air Wing will receive its F-35s beginning in 2028, with full operational capability achieved by 2030. The 1992-era F/A-18C/D Hornets are set for retirement.

Finnish F-35As will feature Technology Refresh-3 (TR-3) upgrades, enhancing electronic warfare capabilities, computing power, processors, and weapons targeting systems, while enabling future Block 4 updates.

Additionally, seven F-35s will be delivered to Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Kansas to train Finnish pilots.

By Jeyhun Aghazada