U.S. F-35 Lightning II makes 1st landing on highway in Finland

Two U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, U.K., executed a historic, austere landing on a pre-designated highway in Finland during exercise BAANA 2024 on Wednesday, said U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa Public Affairs in a press release.

The austere landing demonstrated 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 of 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 air power from unconventional locations and reflects the collective readiness and the agility of our forces,” Hecker added.

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.