NATO’s Longest Frontier with Russia Reinforced with F-35 Stealth Fighters as Finland Takes First Deliveries

The first F-35A fifth generation fighters built for the Finnish Air Force have arrived in the country, marking a major milestone in the service’s modernisation of its combat aviation capabilities. The delivery further marks the beginning of a major shift in the balance of power in the air in Northern Europe, with the Air Force scheduled to receive 64 F-35A fighters to replace its fleet of obsolete F-18C/D Hornet fourth generation fighters. Deliveries follow Finland’s decision to select the F-35A over competing fighters under the country’s HX fighter tender in December 2021, after it was evaluated to be overwhelmingly superior to other competing fighter types such as the French Rafale and pan-European Eurofighter. 

Finland’s procurement of the F-35 places significantly greater pressure on Russia’s defences, with the Northeast European country accounting for approximately half of Russia’s land border with NATO. The F-35’s advanced stealth and intelligence collection capabilities far surpass those of any other Western or Russian fighter type, while Russia’s production of its own fifth generation fighter the Su-57 has remained limited with under 60 estimated to currently be in service. Developed for high intensity combat in the post-Cold War era, the F-35 was designed specifically to counter advanced ground-based air defence networks, which Russia relies on particularly heavily to compensate for the limitations of its combat aviation fleet. 

According to Finnish Air Force commander Major General Pasi Jokinen, the F-35 achieved a rating of 4.47 in the HX competition, far exceeding the 3.81 score of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which finished in a distant second place. The F-35A has won every tender in which it has competed against the F-18 and European fighter types. There has been considerable speculation that procurement of the F-35 could pave the way for a nuclear sharing agreement with the United States. The Finnish Defence Ministry in April reported that the government has submitted a proposal to parliament to allow the import of nuclear weapons and their storage in the country. The F-35 is considered an optimal aircraft for nuclear delivery, with its weapons bays able to carry two B61 bombs, while its advanced stealth and electronic warfare capabilities provide a significant degree of survivability when launching penetration strikes deep into Russian territory.