Finnish F-35 delivery disrupted by minor

One of the Finnish Air Force's first three F-35A Lightning II fighters is stuck at Lajes Air Base in the Azores. The jet, designated JF-511, developed a minor avionics fault during a delivery flight from the United States.

According to a service statement from September 20, 2026, the aircraft will now be flown to Finland with the next group of F-35s later in the autumn. The fault occurred as part of a six-aircraft Finnish and Belgian detachment that transited through the Azores starting September 15.

Fault monitoring triggered delay

Brigadier General Aki Puustinen, Chief of Staff of the Finnish Air Force, explained the situation. The aircraft's fault monitoring system indicated a potential issue during the startup sequence on September 18. Ground crew attempted to resolve it.

Once it became clear further troubleshooting would delay the entire five-jet detachment and its supporting KC-135 tanker, the decision was made to leave JF-511 behind. "The issue was a minor avionics fault. The required spare part is currently being shipped to the Azores," Puustinen said in the statement. The Finnish Air Force noted that in peacetime, flights can be delayed or cancelled at a low threshold when technical anomalies are detected.

Two jets complete historic arrival

The two other Finnish F-35As, JF-510 and JF-512, continued their journey. They entered Finnish airspace at 17:21 local time on September 18, 2026. Escorted by Finnish F/A-18 Hornets, they landed at Rovaniemi Airport, home of the Lapland Air Wing, at 17:45.

US Air Force pilots flew the transatlantic legs of the delivery mission. Both aircraft are now undergoing post-ferry inspections. An official arrival ceremony is scheduled for October 1, 2026.

Logistics complicate solo ferry

The service stated that ferrying the stranded JF-511 to Finland on its own is not practical. Crossing the Atlantic requires dedicated aerial refueling support, which would be inefficient for a single aircraft. No firm date was given for the next delivery flight group.

This is not the first such hiccup for F-35 deliveries through the Azores. In October 2025, a Belgian F-35A bound for Florennes Air Base was also left behind on the islands after its pilot identified a technical fault.

Finland's F-35 transition timeline

Finland has ordered 64 F-35A aircraft to replace its current fleet of F/A-18C/D Hornets. Deliveries are scheduled to continue through the end of 2030. The first eight airframes are in the United States for initial pilot and maintainer training.

That training phase began when the first Finnish F-35, JF-501, arrived at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas in January 2026. That aircraft had been rolled out a month earlier in Fort Worth, Texas.