USAF F-35s Land on Finnish Highway in Historic First

Two U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom, executed a historic, austere landing on a pre-designated highway in Finland Sept. 4, during exercise BAANA 2024.

A U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II assigned to 48th Fighter Wing RAF, Lakenheath, U.K. lands during exercise BAANA 2024 on Hosio Highway strip, Ranua, Finland, Sept. 4, 2024. During the exercise, two F-35s demonstrated landing and takeoff operations on the Finnish highway strip to practice Agile Combat Employment which increases the ability of collective partners to collaborate and operate in a joint, high-intensity environment, improve readiness, responsiveness and interoperability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tabatha Chapman)

German air force Lt. Col. Thomas Kotting, Tactical Air Wing 71R commander, assigned to Wittmund Air Base, stands with Finnish air force Col. Saku Joukas, Lapland Air Wing commander, Finland and U.S. Lt. Col. David Deal, 435th Contingency Response Support Squadron commander, assigned to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, at a press conference during exercise BAANA 2024 on Hosio Highway strip, Ranua, Finland, Sept. 4. During the exercise, U.S. Air Force Airmen expanded on Agile Combat Employment capabilities by learning austere environment aircraft landing and takeoff operations and techniques from their Finnish counterparts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tabatha Chapman)

A U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, U.K., made history by landing on a highway strip during the exercise BAANA 2024, Sept. 4, 2024, on Hosio Highway Strip, Ranua, Finland. During the exercise, the U.S. Air Force collaborated with NATO allies to adapt, innovate and strengthen our collective defense while making history by landing U.S. fighter aircraft on a Finnish highway strip demonstrating military capabilities and interoperability. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Scyrrus Corregidor)

The austere landing demonstrates advancements in the NATO alliance's ability to perform operations under the U.S. Air Force's agile combat employment concept and promotes closer integration among allied forces.

"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, U.S. Air Forces 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."

Since Finland's accession to NATO in 2023, it has provided U.S. Airmen significant opportunities to learn from Finnish counterparts. Among the most recent activities, the Finnish Air Force was among a total of nine national air forces to participate in the 1v1 air superiority exercise held in June at Ramstein. During that event, fighter aircraft and pilots from the nine nations participated in a series of aerial combat simulations.

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