Finnish Air Force to join Cobra Warrior 23-1 in UK

The Finnish Air Force will deploy six F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters to the Cobra Warrior 23-1 exercise in the United Kingdom from March 6 to March 24, said Finnish Defence Forces in a press release on Tuesday.

Cobra Warrior is the Royal Air Force’s international tactical training event, which takes place two times a year.

The Finnish Air Force will participate in the exercise for the first time.

“We will take part in the Cobra Warrior exercise because the Royal Air Force is an important partner for us bilaterally, in the framework of the Joint Expeditionary Force cooperation, and as a future NATO ally. From the perspective of the Finnish Air Force, developing interoperability with the United Kingdom and the other JEF nations also supports cooperation within NATO,” said Chief of Staff, Air Force Command Finland, Brigadier General Timo Herranen.

For the Finnish Air Force, the aim of the Cobra Warrior 23-1 exercise is to train together with the Royal Air Force, to enhance interoperability with future NATO allies, and to develop the integration of 4th and 5th generation fighters.

In total, around 70 aircraft will take part in the exercise. The Finnish F/A-18s will operate out of RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.

In addition to the F/A-18 detachment, the exercise will involve Finnish fighter controllers at the Control and Reporting Centre at RAF Boulmer.

The Finnish Air Force’s participation in Cobra Warrior 23-1 will be part of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) cooperation. Finland joined the JEF in 2017.