Two U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fighter jets assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 224 refuel near Tervo, Finland, on June 9, 2026. During NATO’s Ramstein Flag exercise, the aircraft conducted the first Marine Corps F-35B highway landing and takeoff operations in Finland. (Mya Seymour/U.S. Marine Corps)
The Marine Corps took the “highway to the danger zone” quite literally this month after taking off and landing F-35B Lightning IIs on a Finnish highway during the aircraft’s first deployment to the country.
The operations took place June 8-12 in Finland’s Tervo region as part of Exercise Ramstein Flag, a large-scale NATO exercise focused on improving coordination among allied air forces and defense units, according to a service news release on Wednesday.
The exercise was designed to demonstrate how NATO allies can extend their combat capabilities by operating from locations outside traditional airfields, the release said.
That capability carries particular significance in Finland. Tervo, located in central Finland, sits about 200 miles from the Russian border. An F-35B, which can reach speeds of about 1,200 mph, could cover that distance in roughly 10 minutes.
The aircraft were originally scheduled to make the historic landing during the Corps’ Cold Response exercise in March, but the deployment was canceled, the release said. The timing of the F-35B’s canceled visit coincided with the onset of the U.S.-Iran conflict.
“This iteration of Ramstein Flag stretches from the northernmost parts of Norway to the southern reaches of Spain, showcasing Allied Airpower’s 360-degree approach to defend every inch of NATO territory,” Lt. Gen. Jason Hinds, commander of Allied Air Command, said in the release.
The Marine Corps was not the only participant testing highway operations. Spanish F-18s and Polish F-16s also conducted takeoffs and landings on Finnish roads during the exercise.
The F-35Bs deployed to Finland belong to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 224, which transitioned to the aircraft in 2025 after flying the F/A-18D Hornet for more than three decades.
The Marine Corps plans to retire its remaining Hornet fleet by 2030, according to a service announcement in May.
The Finland deployment comes as the Corps continues a broader modernization effort centered on the F-35 platform.
Just a week earlier, the Marine Corps officially retired its AV-8B Harrier II fleet, leaving the F-35B as the service’s sole short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft.
Beyond the highway takeoffs and landings in Finland, Marines established forward arming and refueling points for the aircraft to support continual flight operations.
Finland joined NATO in 2023, and nearby Sweden followed a year later, citing security concerns after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
