Finnish Air Force to participate in Weapons Instructor Course 26 flying phase in the Netherlands

Finland will participate in the flying phase of the Weapons Instructor Course 26, organised by the Royal Netherlands Air Force, with five F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets from 6 to 10 July 2026.

The Weapons Instructor Course is a multinational, approximately six-month long training programme conducted every two years, comprising both academic and flying phases. The Netherlands and Norway share responsibility for organising the course. Throughout the course that began in spring 2026, personnel and aircraft from the air forces of the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, and Finland are participating in its various phases.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and Denmark are, like Finland, members of the European F-35 community. Cooperation with other European F-35 operators is becoming increasingly important as Finland prepares for the arrival of its first own F-35A Lightning II fighter jets in Rovaniemi in autumn 2026.

For the Finnish Air Force, the objectives of the participation in the WIC 26 flying phase are to deepen cooperation with the air forces of the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and Denmark, as well as to strengthen F-35 expertise and further develop interoperability between 4th and 5th generation fighter jets. During the upcoming transition period, the Finnish Air Force will operate the F/A-18 Hornet and the F-35A Lightning II in parallel for several years, which underlines the importance of effective interoperability between the two different generations of fighter jets.

Five Finnish Hornets to deploy to Leeuwarden Air Base

The Finnish Air Force will deploy a detachment of five F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets and approximately 50 airmen to Leeuwarden Air Base in the Netherlands for the WIC 26 flying phase. Finnish fighter jets will participate in the flying phase of the course from 6 to 10 July 2026. Flight operations will be conducted in Dutch airspace, primarily over the North Sea.

The Finnish detachment is led by Lieutenant Colonel Ville Uggeldahl, Commander of the Air Combat Centre of the Satakunta Air Wing. The detachment includes personnel from the Satakunta, Lapland, and Karelia Air Wings.

More information: Lieutenant Colonel Ville Uggeldahl, Commander of the Air Combat Centre, Satakunta Air Wing, tel. +358 299 800 (switchboard).