Finnish F-35s and U.S. F-22 Raptors Signal NATO’s Shift Toward Integrated Stealth Air Operations
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Finland’s F-35 Lightning II fighters have begun training with U.S. F-22 Raptors at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, creating a rare fifth-generation integration event that strengthens NATO’s ability to achieve and sustain air superiority in contested airspace. Announced by the U.S. National Guard on June 17, 2026, the exercise gives Finnish pilots direct exposure to advanced U.S. air-dominance tactics while accelerating Finland’s transition into NATO’s frontline stealth-fighter ecosystem.
The training pairs the F-22’s air-superiority strengths with the F-35’s sensor-fusion and networked warfare capabilities, allowing crews to refine how stealth aircraft share information, coordinate engagements, and operate as a unified force. As Finland prepares to field 64 F-35A fighters and expand its role on NATO’s northern flank, the exercise enhances interoperability, strengthens coalition readiness, and reinforces the alliance’s long-term approach to fifth-generation air dominance.
Related Topic: U.S. Tests F-22 Raptor with Stealth Fuel Tanks and Sensor Pods for Long-Range Missions in Contested Airspace
U.S. F-22 Raptors trained with Finnish F-35 fighters at Ebbing ANGB, strengthening NATO fifth-generation interoperability and Finland’s transition to allied air dominance operations (Picture Source: U.S. National Guard)
On June 17, 2026, the U.S. National Guard announced that two F-22 Raptors from the Virginia Air National Guard had deployed to Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas to train alongside Finnish Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighters. The joint activity, launched after the Raptors’ arrival on June 16, marks a rare training opportunity between two fifth-generation combat aircraft and comes as Finland prepares to integrate the F-35 into its national and NATO air operations. Beyond a short bilateral event, the exercise highlights how the United States is using its advanced fighter force, training infrastructure, and National Guard partnerships to strengthen allied air dominance in an increasingly contested security environment.
The two F-22 Raptors involved in the exercise are assigned to the 149th Fighter Squadron of the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Fighter Wing, based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. At Ebbing ANGB, they conducted integrated flight operations with Finnish Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft currently training in the United States. According to the National Guard, the exercise was designed to sharpen air dominance tactics and strengthen combined readiness between U.S. and allied forces. The deployment gave Finnish pilots a direct opportunity to train with one of the most specialized air-superiority platforms in the U.S. inventory while developing operational familiarity with fifth-generation tactics in a coalition environment.
The presence of both aircraft types in the same training scenario carries significant operational value. The F-22 Raptor was designed primarily to secure air superiority through stealth, speed, high-altitude performance, advanced sensors, and maneuverability, while the F-35 Lightning II brings a broader multirole capability centered on sensor fusion, data sharing, electronic awareness, strike missions, and networked operations. In a high-end conflict, the two aircraft would not simply operate in parallel; they would contribute complementary effects. The F-22 can help establish control of contested airspace, while the F-35 can build and distribute a wider tactical picture, identify threats, support precision engagements, and connect multiple elements of a joint force. Training these aircraft together therefore allows pilots to refine how stealth platforms coordinate, share information, manage threats, and execute complex missions before operating in a real coalition combat environment.
For Finland, this training comes at a decisive stage in the country’s fighter modernization program. Helsinki selected the F-35A Lightning II to replace its F/A-18 Hornet fleet, with 64 F-35A Block 4 aircraft forming the future core of Finnish airpower. The program is expected to shape Finland’s defense capability well into the 2060s, making early exposure to U.S. fifth-generation doctrine especially important. Finnish personnel training in the United States are not only learning how to operate and maintain the aircraft; they are also being introduced to the operational culture, procedures, and tactical concepts that will define how the F-35 is used inside NATO. The arrival of Virginia Air National Guard F-22s at Ebbing adds another layer to this process by exposing Finnish pilots to the way U.S. air dominance assets can integrate with allied F-35 formations.
Ebbing Air National Guard Base is also becoming a central element in this wider transformation. Finnish F-35 operations there fall under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales training pipeline, following academic and simulator phases conducted elsewhere. The base is linked to live-flight training for Finnish pilots and supports the broader international F-35 training effort involving partner nations such as Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and Singapore. This makes Ebbing more than a temporary basing location. It is emerging as a U.S.-based gateway for allied fifth-generation fighter integration, where international pilots and maintainers can develop common procedures, shared tactical habits, and maintenance familiarity before their aircraft enter frontline service.
The Razorback Range, owned and maintained by the 188th Wing at Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, provides a key tactical asset behind this training. The range offers airspace from the surface up to 30,000 feet and includes thousands of target arrays for day and night operations. In 2025, it supported 424 aircraft sorties and 644 inert munitions drops, underlining its role as one of the Air National Guard’s most valuable training environments for realistic combat preparation. For fifth-generation aircraft, such a range allows crews to rehearse complex scenarios involving multiple aircraft, simulated weapons employment, threat management, target identification, and coordination with ground controllers. This infrastructure helps explain why Ebbing ANGB is increasingly relevant for international fifth-generation fighter readiness.
The exercise also supports the Virginia-Finland State Partnership Program, established in 2024, which provides a framework for military-to-military cooperation between the Virginia National Guard and Finland. This partnership has gained importance since Finland joined NATO and began aligning its defense structures more closely with allied operational requirements. Through the State Partnership Program, U.S. and Finnish forces can deepen cooperation beyond aircraft training alone, including exchanges between pilots, maintainers, planners, and commanders. In this context, the F-22 and F-35 exercise is not only about flying advanced aircraft together; it is about building trust, interoperability, and shared readiness between forces that may be called to operate together in defense of NATO airspace.
The strategic relevance of the exercise extends directly to NATO’s northern flank. Finland’s future F-35 fleet will operate in a region where geography, proximity to Russia, dispersed basing, long-range surveillance, and rapid response requirements will shape air operations. By training with U.S. F-22 Raptors at this stage of its transition, the Finnish Air Force gains early experience in how its future stealth fighter force can contribute to broader allied air campaigns. For NATO, this means that Finland’s integration into the alliance is not limited to membership and procurement decisions; it is being translated into practical readiness, common tactics, and operational cohesion.
By bringing Virginia Air National Guard F-22 Raptors together with Finnish F-35s at Ebbing ANGB, the United States is demonstrating a central advantage of its airpower model: the ability to combine advanced aircraft, experienced pilots, high-end training infrastructure, and allied partnerships into a single readiness ecosystem. For Finland, this exercise supports the transition toward full NATO air integration. For the United States, it reinforces its role as the leading force behind allied fifth-generation fighter readiness. The message is clear: U.S. airpower remains not only a combat capability, but also the foundation around which NATO’s future air dominance is being built.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Finland’s F-35 Lightning II fighters have begun training with U.S. F-22 Raptors at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, creating a rare fifth-generation integration event that strengthens NATO’s ability to achieve and sustain air superiority in contested airspace. Announced by the U.S. National Guard on June 17, 2026, the exercise gives Finnish pilots direct exposure to advanced U.S. air-dominance tactics while accelerating Finland’s transition into NATO’s frontline stealth-fighter ecosystem.
The training pairs the F-22’s air-superiority strengths with the F-35’s sensor-fusion and networked warfare capabilities, allowing crews to refine how stealth aircraft share information, coordinate engagements, and operate as a unified force. As Finland prepares to field 64 F-35A fighters and expand its role on NATO’s northern flank, the exercise enhances interoperability, strengthens coalition readiness, and reinforces the alliance’s long-term approach to fifth-generation air dominance.
Related Topic: U.S. Tests F-22 Raptor with Stealth Fuel Tanks and Sensor Pods for Long-Range Missions in Contested Airspace
U.S. F-22 Raptors trained with Finnish F-35 fighters at Ebbing ANGB, strengthening NATO fifth-generation interoperability and Finland’s transition to allied air dominance operations (Picture Source: U.S. National Guard)
On June 17, 2026, the U.S. National Guard announced that two F-22 Raptors from the Virginia Air National Guard had deployed to Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas to train alongside Finnish Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighters. The joint activity, launched after the Raptors’ arrival on June 16, marks a rare training opportunity between two fifth-generation combat aircraft and comes as Finland prepares to integrate the F-35 into its national and NATO air operations. Beyond a short bilateral event, the exercise highlights how the United States is using its advanced fighter force, training infrastructure, and National Guard partnerships to strengthen allied air dominance in an increasingly contested security environment.
The two F-22 Raptors involved in the exercise are assigned to the 149th Fighter Squadron of the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Fighter Wing, based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. At Ebbing ANGB, they conducted integrated flight operations with Finnish Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft currently training in the United States. According to the National Guard, the exercise was designed to sharpen air dominance tactics and strengthen combined readiness between U.S. and allied forces. The deployment gave Finnish pilots a direct opportunity to train with one of the most specialized air-superiority platforms in the U.S. inventory while developing operational familiarity with fifth-generation tactics in a coalition environment.
The presence of both aircraft types in the same training scenario carries significant operational value. The F-22 Raptor was designed primarily to secure air superiority through stealth, speed, high-altitude performance, advanced sensors, and maneuverability, while the F-35 Lightning II brings a broader multirole capability centered on sensor fusion, data sharing, electronic awareness, strike missions, and networked operations. In a high-end conflict, the two aircraft would not simply operate in parallel; they would contribute complementary effects. The F-22 can help establish control of contested airspace, while the F-35 can build and distribute a wider tactical picture, identify threats, support precision engagements, and connect multiple elements of a joint force. Training these aircraft together therefore allows pilots to refine how stealth platforms coordinate, share information, manage threats, and execute complex missions before operating in a real coalition combat environment.
For Finland, this training comes at a decisive stage in the country’s fighter modernization program. Helsinki selected the F-35A Lightning II to replace its F/A-18 Hornet fleet, with 64 F-35A Block 4 aircraft forming the future core of Finnish airpower. The program is expected to shape Finland’s defense capability well into the 2060s, making early exposure to U.S. fifth-generation doctrine especially important. Finnish personnel training in the United States are not only learning how to operate and maintain the aircraft; they are also being introduced to the operational culture, procedures, and tactical concepts that will define how the F-35 is used inside NATO. The arrival of Virginia Air National Guard F-22s at Ebbing adds another layer to this process by exposing Finnish pilots to the way U.S. air dominance assets can integrate with allied F-35 formations.
Ebbing Air National Guard Base is also becoming a central element in this wider transformation. Finnish F-35 operations there fall under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales training pipeline, following academic and simulator phases conducted elsewhere. The base is linked to live-flight training for Finnish pilots and supports the broader international F-35 training effort involving partner nations such as Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and Singapore. This makes Ebbing more than a temporary basing location. It is emerging as a U.S.-based gateway for allied fifth-generation fighter integration, where international pilots and maintainers can develop common procedures, shared tactical habits, and maintenance familiarity before their aircraft enter frontline service.
The Razorback Range, owned and maintained by the 188th Wing at Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, provides a key tactical asset behind this training. The range offers airspace from the surface up to 30,000 feet and includes thousands of target arrays for day and night operations. In 2025, it supported 424 aircraft sorties and 644 inert munitions drops, underlining its role as one of the Air National Guard’s most valuable training environments for realistic combat preparation. For fifth-generation aircraft, such a range allows crews to rehearse complex scenarios involving multiple aircraft, simulated weapons employment, threat management, target identification, and coordination with ground controllers. This infrastructure helps explain why Ebbing ANGB is increasingly relevant for international fifth-generation fighter readiness.
The exercise also supports the Virginia-Finland State Partnership Program, established in 2024, which provides a framework for military-to-military cooperation between the Virginia National Guard and Finland. This partnership has gained importance since Finland joined NATO and began aligning its defense structures more closely with allied operational requirements. Through the State Partnership Program, U.S. and Finnish forces can deepen cooperation beyond aircraft training alone, including exchanges between pilots, maintainers, planners, and commanders. In this context, the F-22 and F-35 exercise is not only about flying advanced aircraft together; it is about building trust, interoperability, and shared readiness between forces that may be called to operate together in defense of NATO airspace.
The strategic relevance of the exercise extends directly to NATO’s northern flank. Finland’s future F-35 fleet will operate in a region where geography, proximity to Russia, dispersed basing, long-range surveillance, and rapid response requirements will shape air operations. By training with U.S. F-22 Raptors at this stage of its transition, the Finnish Air Force gains early experience in how its future stealth fighter force can contribute to broader allied air campaigns. For NATO, this means that Finland’s integration into the alliance is not limited to membership and procurement decisions; it is being translated into practical readiness, common tactics, and operational cohesion.
By bringing Virginia Air National Guard F-22 Raptors together with Finnish F-35s at Ebbing ANGB, the United States is demonstrating a central advantage of its airpower model: the ability to combine advanced aircraft, experienced pilots, high-end training infrastructure, and allied partnerships into a single readiness ecosystem. For Finland, this exercise supports the transition toward full NATO air integration. For the United States, it reinforces its role as the leading force behind allied fifth-generation fighter readiness. The message is clear: U.S. airpower remains not only a combat capability, but also the foundation around which NATO’s future air dominance is being built.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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