Overview
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 224 F-35B jets conducted landings and takeoffs on a highway strip in Tervo, Finland, during Exercise Ramstein Flag on June 8–12, 2026.
- The deployment marked the first time U.S. Marine F-35s operated in Finland and the first highway operations on Finnish roads by U.S., Spanish and Polish combat aircraft.
- U.S. Marines set up forward arming and refueling points to sustain the flights, enabling repeated launches and recoveries from a non‑traditional site.
- Air command and control for the activity was run from the Combined Air Operations Centre in Bodø, Norway, with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing liaison officers coordinating multinational missions.
- The exercise tested NATO's agile combat employment concept by showing how dispersed basing can extend reach, complicate an adversary's targeting and strengthen deterrence near sensitive borders.