Baana 24 road base exercise in Rovaniemi and Ranua
Lapland Air Wing will organise the Finnish Air Force’s Baana 24 road base exercise at the Norvatie highway strip in Rovaniemi and the Hosio highway strip in Ranua from 31 August to 6 September 2024.
Baana (NATO exercise name “Imminent Field”) is the Finnish Air Force’s annual road base exercise. The Finnish Air Force regularly trains outside the main operating bases to be capable to quickly disperse aircraft across Finland, if necessary. Readiness to operate out of a dispersed base network is part of the Finnish Air Force’s mobile battle concept, and operating at road bases is part of the flight training for all Finnish fighter pilots.
The flight operations of the Baana 24 exercise will begin on 2 September at 10 am, and end on 5 September no later than at midnight. Friday 6 September will be the back-up day. Training missions will be flown daily between 10 am and midnight in Rovaniemi, and between 10 am and 10 pm in Hosio. The objective of the exercise is to do take-offs and landings at a road base according to flight training programmes. The air activity will involve the Finnish Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, Hawk jet trainers, as well as transport and liaison aircraft. In addition, there will be Allied aircraft from the United States and Germany taking part in the exercise.
‒ The Baana exercise is one of the most important events of the autumn for the Lapland Air Wing. We will develop and test our readiness by operating simultaneously from two different highway strips and from our main base in Rovaniemi. These are the things we have to be able to do, and it takes practice. Now, the exercise will also have a stronger international element. We will demonstrate our top expertise to our Allies, and provide them with an opportunity to learn. In this way, we will also send out a message about the strength of our own defence, says Exercise Director, Colonel Saku Joukas, Commander of the Lapland Air Wing.
Norvatie and Hosio highway strips to be closed to traffic
The Finnish Air Force will operate from two highway strips in the Baana 24 exercise.
The Norvatie highway strip (road 9523 Norvatie) will be closed to traffic on Saturday 31 August at noon, and traffic will be diverted to a detour. The road section to be closed will be between the junction of road 9523 and Pahkamaantie in the south, and the junction of road 9523 and the Takakappale bypass in the north. The road will be reopened to traffic on Friday 6 September no later than at 3 pm.
The Hosio highway strip (road 924 Simontie) will be closed to traffic on Sunday 1 September at noon, and traffic will be diverted to a detour. During the closure, traffic will be directed via roads 9243, 849 and 19898. The road will be reopened on Friday 6 September no later than at noon.
There will be signage for the detours at the junctions, and there will be traffic control at the road closure sites.
More information about the exercise: Lieutenant Colonel Petteri Puusa, Chief of Staff, Lapland Air Wing, tel. +358 299 800 (switchboard).
