USMC F-35Bs Demonstrate Unique Finnish Highway Landing Amid NATO Exercise

Between June 8 and 12, 2026, the United States Marine Corps deployed its F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters to conduct repeated landings and takeoffs on a temporarily closed section of Highway 5 in Tervo, Finland. This location lies roughly 322 kilometers (200 miles) from the Russian border, underscoring the operation’s strategic significance amid NATO’s Ramstein Flag 2026, a large multinational military exercise spanning from northern Norway to southern Spain. The USMC F-35B squadron known as VMFA-224 led the operation, marking their first deployment to Finland and demonstrating operational flexibility in contested environments.

This highway operation also featured participation from Spanish and Polish military aircraft, marking their inaugural use of Finnish road strips. Support logistics were provided by Marine Wing Support Squadron 272, enabling swift forward arming and refueling of aircraft positioned directly on a public road — a notable feat of expeditionary aviation support.

Tervo’s strategic position distinguishes it from Finland’s fixed airbases such as Rovaniemi, Rissala, and Tampere Pirkkala. Unlike established bases, the highway strip can be activated or deactivated rapidly, complicating potential targeting by adversaries. Allied Air Command Commander Jason Hinds emphasized how this maneuver exemplified NATO airpower’s comprehensive defense strategy across all territories under the alliance’s protection.

Fundamental to this operation’s success is the F-35B’s unique Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) capability. Unlike the F-35A and F-35C variants operated by other US services, which require extended runways for safe landings and takeoffs, the F-35B can hover, land vertically, and take off from short or unconventional surfaces without the need for arrestor gear or lengthy paved strips. This capability derives from its shaft-driven lift fan, a Rolls-Royce LiftFan integrated behind the cockpit and mechanically linked to the jet engine.

This lift fan, combined with a swiveling rear exhaust nozzle, produces approximately 40,000 pounds of vertical thrust, sufficient to suspend the fighter’s 32,000-plus pound empty weight in a stable hover. Furthermore, roll control jets embedded in the wings provide the lateral stability necessary during the transition between conventional and vertical flight modes. This intricate engineering feat allows landings and takeoffs from stretches of highway too short or unsuitable for conventional jets.

The engineering challenges inherent in this system nearly derailed the entire F-35 program in the early 2000s. Weight growth from the lift fan and complex STOVL mechanisms prompted a 'STOVL weight crisis' around 2003-2004, necessitating a near-complete airframe redesign across all F-35 variants. These modifications increased costs and development delays, contributing to the F-35’s reputation for expense and complexity over the following decade.

The Finnish highway exercise in Tervo contrasts with previous operations involving the F-35A, such as the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s 2023 Baana 23 exercise and the USAF 495th Fighter Squadron’s 2024 road landings. Both required several thousand feet of closed highway to mimic conventional runway landings. The F-35B’s STOVL ability enabled far shorter landing zones and the flexibility to perform emergency landings without forward roll-out, as demonstrated in Tervo.

While the highway exercise garnered media attention for its dramatic visuals, defense analysts regard the F-35B’s lift fan system as the pivotal element shaping NATO’s tactical air mobility and resilience near Russia’s borders. The operation exemplifies how innovation in aircraft design extends beyond stealth and sensors to versatile basing options, enhancing deterrence and rapid response capabilities in contested theaters.