Patria Becomes the First Partner Outside the U.S. to Assemble F-35 Jet’s Forward Fuselage

Patria has begun assembling the F-35 fighter forward fuselages and engines and is manufacturing structural components as part of Finland’s  order of 64 F-35A fighters from US-based Lockheed Martin.

While Patria is responsible for the assembly of the forward fuselages and the manufacture of the landing gear doors in Finland, the manufactured components will form a part of the F-35 global supply chain.

Patria is the first partner outside of the United States to manufacture forward fuselages for Lockheed Martin’s fighter aircraft.

Components manufactured in Finland are delivered to Lockheed Martin’s final assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas.

Under the current framework agreement, Patria will produce a total of 400 forward fuselages and landing gear door sets for F-35 fighters between 2026 and 2042.

In addition to structural components, Patria is tasked with assembling F135 engines for the F-35 fighters. To facilitate this, new production facilities were completed for Patria at Linnavuori, Nokia, meeting stringent US Government and Pratt & Whitney security requirements.

Our aim is to deliver the first completed engines during 2026, says Petri Hepola, Patria’s Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer of F-35.

After assembly, the same facilities will be used for maintenance and overhaul of Finland’s F135 engines. Patria is responsible for maintenance throughout the lifecycle of Finland’s F-35 fleet, currently projected to extend into the 2060s.

Finland’s first F-35 jets to arrive end 2026

According to the Finnish Defence Forces, the first F-35 fighters acquired by Finland will arrive at the Lapland Air Command base in Rovaniemi at the end of 2026. Over the coming years, they will replace the F/A-18 Hornets acquired in the 1990s.