On 17 September 2026, a Finnish Air Force pilot flew an F-35A in Europe for the first time, joining a six-nation mission over Ørland Air Base in Norway with pilots from Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States, the Finnish Air Force said.
The flight was a first step under Finland's "Capacity on Call" memorandum of understanding with Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium, signed last year. It lets pilots, ground crews and munitions move across the participating countries' air forces.
Colonel Vesa Mäntylä, deputy chief of staff at Air Force Command Finland, called the flight "a concrete step towards closer cooperation" that will become "part of our daily operations" as Finland's F-35s enter service.
Mikko Mönkkönen, Finland's Defence Attaché to Norway, Denmark and Iceland, said on X that the flight is "significant, since [Finland and Norway's] Air Forces are almost combined and interoperable".