Finland's Patria to Produce F-35 Jet's Landing Gear Doors

Patria has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Lockheed Martin to set up a landing gear doors production line at Patria’s Halli facility in Jämsä, Finland for supply to the F-35 global fleet.

This long-term agreement entails the manufacturing of 400 sets of F-35 landing gear doors.

Finland’s participation in the F-35 program

The recent green light from Finland's Ministerial Finance Committee paved the way for Patria's construction of an assembly site for F-35 Block 4 fighter jets. This decision follows the $9.6 billion jet procurement contract between Finland's Ministry of Defense (MOD) and Lockheed Martin in February 2022, outlining the delivery of 64 F-35s to the Finnish Air Force.

The establishment of the aircraft assembly facility stands as a crucial aspect of the contract's initial industrial phase. The selection of an appropriate assembly plant development site near Nokia was finalized through a lease agreement between the Finnish Defence Forces and Defence Properties Finland in January.

Construction of the engine assembly building at the Nokia facility is slated to commence in the latter half of 2024. Per the terms of the industrial agreement between Finland and Lockheed Martin, engine maintenance at the Nokia facility will be sustained throughout the entire life cycle of the Air Force's F-35 fleet.

Patria, primarily state-owned with the government holding a 50.1% stake, partnered with the Norwegian company Kongsberg, controlling the remaining shares. Additionally, Patria owns half of the Norwegian defense contractor Nammo, reflecting its international collaboration in defense ventures.

The F-35 aircraft, set to replace Finland's aging McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet jets by 2030, are expected to be deployed to Arctic air bases in Finland's Lapland region by 2026, following the delivery of the initial batch.