On Thursday, February 5, 2026, the Finnish company Patria Oyj and the American company Pratt & Whitney (part of RTX) signed an agreement for the final assembly of the first F135 turbofan engines for Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multirole aircraft at the Linnavuori facility in Nokia. Initial production has already begun and is planned to continue through 2030.
Photo: Patria Oyj
As a strategic partner of the Finnish Defence Forces, Patria Oyj is responsible for the initial assembly and, in the future, for the maintenance and repair of F135 engines. The first Finnish F-35A fighters are scheduled to arrive at Rovaniemi Air Base in Lapland at the end of 2026 (the first Finnish F-35A Lightning II is already in Ebbing).
“It’s inspiring to see our joint efforts materialize – not only in building new capabilities for the F‑35 programme, but now also in taking the first concrete steps toward F135 production at the new facility by Patria’s experts. The Linnavuori facility and our growing Patria team are central to this progress and to the upcoming F135 engine assembly and maintenance work,” says Petri Hepola, Patria’s Chief Program Officer, F‑35.
“Patria’s capabilities will strengthen the F135 engine sustainment network and the collective defence of Finland and its NATO allies,” says André McMillian, Vice President for Sustainment Operations at Pratt & Whitney. “This agreement ensures that Patria-assembled engines will power Finland’s F-35 fleet for decades to come.”
In March 2024, Patria Oyj and Pratt & Whitney signed a framework agreement covering maintenance, repair, overhaul, and upgrade (MRO&U) of F135 engines. The agreement is expected to have a direct employment impact at Patria of approximately 50 positions between 2025 and 2030.
To commemorate the start of production of the first F135 engines, a World War II–era Pratt & Whitney engine, recovered from a lake in Orivesi, Finland, in spring 2025, was preserved and placed on display in the lobby of the production facility in Linnavuori.
It is also worth noting that, under the HX program offset agreement, 400 forward fuselage sections are being produced in Finland at the Patria Halli facility in Jämsä, Central Finland, which was opened on June 13, 2025 (with first deliveries scheduled from 2030), as well as the main and nose landing gear doors, also at Patria Halli, under an agreement signed on March 27, 2024.
In photo from left: Vice President for Sustainment Operations at Pratt & Whitney André McMillian; Captain (N), US Navy, Naval Attaché Brian E. Harpuder; F135 Executive Director, Integrated Customer Solutions at Pratt & Whitney Erica Leonard; Commander of the Finnish Air Force, Major General Timo Herranen; Deputy Director-General, Resource Policy Department, Ministry of Defence Sara Kajander; F-35 Program Director, Finnish Air Force Henrik Elo; Lt. Col. (Eng), Officer Specialist, Material Unit, Ministry of Defence Krista Siik; Project Director, F135 of Patria Juho Mäntylä; Chief Program Officer, F-35 of Patria Petri Hepola; System Sector Lead, F35 Branch of Defence Forces Logistics Command Harri Pekkala; Director, F-35 Materiel Project of Defence Forces Logistics Command John Öström.
In the Finnish Air Force (Ilmavoimat), the F-35A aircraft will replace 60 Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornets under the aforementioned HX program (out of the original 62; the first was retired on April 26, 2024, and one crashed on May 7 last year).
Already on order are 150 AGM-88G AARGM-ER extended-range anti-radiation missiles, 200 AGM-158B-2 JASSM-ER cruise missiles, and 403 of the latest upgraded radar-guided AIM-120D-3 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles. The government in Helsinki has also received approval to acquire up to 500 GBU-53/B SDB II bombs, 190 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 148 AGM-154C-1 JSOW-C1 glide munitions, 120 BLU-117 general-purpose bombs, 32 BLU-109 general-purpose bombs, and 150 BLU-111 general-purpose bombs. Integration with the JSM (Joint Strike Missile) cruise missile is also planned.
🇫🇮 F-35A-monitoimihävittäjän kotimaista huoltovarmuutta vahvistaa se, että @group_patria huoltaa koneen F135-moottorit Nokian Linnavuoressa v. 2030 alkaen. Moottorin kokoonpano ja huolto ovat osa F-35-hankkeen teollista yhteistyötä – ensimmäisten kokoonpano on alkanut. #F35hanke https://t.co/5nuUTQIEIW
— Ilmavoimat (@FinnishAirForce) February 5, 2026
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