On Thursday, April 2, 2026, Finnish company Patria Oyj announced on social media that it had begun production of forward fuselage sections for Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multirole aircraft at its Patria Halli facility in Jämsä, in the Central Finland region. The site was officially opened on June 16, 2025, after which preparations for launching production began.
Photos: Patria Oyj
As reported, the assembly of F-35 forward fuselage sections under a Lockheed Martin license has officially begun at the new Patria Halli facility in Jämsä, Finland. This marks an important milestone for the Finnish defense industry. To commemorate the event, Patria Oyj held an opening ceremony on Wednesday, April 1, at the Halli site.
“The launch of F-35 forward fuselage assembly at our Halli facility showcases the team’s expertise, further concretises Finnish industrial participation in the F-35 program, and ensures we are a reliable partner to Lockheed Martin in supporting global security and supply chains,” says Petri Hepola, Patria’s Chief Program Officer of F-35.
“Domestic production strengthens our security of supply and brings important defence know-how to Finland. This strongly indicates the excellence of the Finnish industry and the trust it enjoys internationally,” – added F-35 Programme Director, Colonel (ret.) Henrik Elo
The facility was completed in the fall of last year, with production launch planned for spring this year. Under the offset agreement signed on June 19, 2023, the plant will produce 400 forward fuselage sections for F-35 aircraft. Employment is expected to reach 150 people after the ramp-up period, and deliveries of the manufactured components will begin in 2030.
Additionally, on March 27, 2024, an agreement was signed expanding Patria’s role in establishing and qualifying a production line for landing gear doors (both main and nose), which will also be located at the Patria Halli facility in Jämsä. The third element of industrial cooperation under the offset program is the facility opened on February 5 this year in Linnavuori, operated by Nokia, for the production of components and maintenance of Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan engines for these aircraft.
In the Finnish Air Force, F-35A aircraft will replace 60 Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornets under the HX program (out of the original 62; the first was retired on April 26, 2024, and one crashed on May 7 last year). Since January 20, the first Finnish “Lightnings” have been arriving at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, to support training (aircraft No. 2 and 3 arrived there on February 18 and 20).
Their armament will include already ordered AGM-88G AARGM-ER extended-range anti-radiation missiles (150 units), AGM-158B-2 JASSM-ER cruise missiles (200 units), and the latest upgraded AIM-120D-3 AMRAAM radar-guided medium-range air-to-air missiles (403 units). In addition, the government in Helsinki has received approval to procure 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 bombs, 120 BLU-117 general-purpose bombs, 32 BLU-109 general-purpose bombs, and 150 BLU-111 general-purpose bombs. Integration with JSM (Joint Strike Missile) cruise missiles is also planned.
”Domestic production strengthens our security of supply and brings important defence know-how to Finland. This strongly indicates the excellence of the Finnish industry and the trust it enjoys internationally.”
F-35 Programme Director, Colonel (ret.) Henrik Elo#F35programme https://t.co/nl0AZPVKfV
— Ilmavoimat (@FinnishAirForce) April 2, 2026