USAF F-35s land on a highway in Finland

US Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs performed their first austere landings in Europe on September 4, 2024. Two F-35As assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath undertook operations from the Hosio Highway Strip in Ranua, Finland during Exercise Baana 2024. The jets landed at Hosio, were ‘hot-pit’ refuelled and then took off. This was the first time a US Air Force fighter had operated from Finnish highways.A US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) statement