ROME— The Italian Air Force deployed its F-35B Lightning II fighter jets to Finland for the Imminent Field 26 exercise, marking the first time the short takeoff variant operated from a public highway.
The aircraft flew sorties from the Jokioinen alternate landing site on Highway 2, with logistics support staged out of Pirkkala Air Force Base near Tampere (TMP).
The exercise, hosted by the Finnish Air Force from May 18 to 22, 2026, brought together fighter assets from multiple NATO partners to practice dispersed operations.
Finnish F/A-18 Hornets, Hawk jet trainers, and Learjet 35A/S utility aircraft joined the Italian fifth-generation jets in conducting touch-and-go drills, landings, and takeoffs on the road base near Tampere (TMP).
Italian F-35B Debuts on Finnish Road Base
On May 19, 2026, two Italian F-35B Lightning II aircraft executed short landing and takeoff operations at the Jokioinen alternate landing site, becoming the first F-35B units in history to operate from a highway strip.
The Satakunta Air Wing organized the activity as part of Finland’s annual dispersed operations training, which focuses on maintaining combat readiness when main air bases face threat scenarios.
The Italian Air Force selected the B variant specifically for its Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing capabilities, which suit the constraints of a converted road surface.
The detachment operated from Pirkkala Air Force Base, the home installation of the Satakunta Air Wing, where Italian ground crews and logistics personnel set up to support the deployment throughout the exercise window.
Background of the Italian Highway Operations Concept
According to The Aviationist, Italy began publicly assessing the possibility of operating F-35A jets from highway sections earlier in 2026. Italian Air Force Lt. Gen. Silvano Frigerio, Commander of Operational Force, discussed the concept on February 4, 2026, at the “Dominio globale” aerospace and geopolitics forum held in Rome.
Frigerio stated that the service is studying the option of landing F-35s on highways if hostile action threatens conventional airfields.
He framed the initiative as part of a broader effort to strengthen operational resilience in contested environments. No formal program or timeline accompanied the announcement at the time.
Italy maintains more than 7,000 kilometers of motorways, yet no segments have been formally identified as auxiliary runways. Implementation would require rapid road closure procedures, civil-military coordination protocols, and dedicated infrastructure investment.
Italian tactical squadrons operated the G-91R/Y from unprepared strips during the Cold War, although they never conducted dedicated highway exercises at that time.
Agile Combat Employment Focus
The Imminent Field 26 deployment forms part of the Italian Air Force’s broader push to practice Agile Combat Employment and expeditionary operations with the F-35B.
The service recently deployed the same variant to Pantelleria Airport (PNL) for a week-long exercise, moving the full logistics chain required to sustain the aircraft in a forward location.
The Finnish Air Force treats the Imminent Field series as a core element of its mobile battle concept. Every Finnish fighter pilot trains in dispersed operations, with road base activity built into the standard syllabus. The strategy assumes that dispersing aircraft across alternate sites raises survivability and complicates targeting for any adversary.
History of F-35 Participation in the Imminent Field
The exercise, previously known as Baana, has hosted F-35 detachments for four consecutive years under the NATO designation Imminent Field. The Royal Norwegian Air Force opened the series in 2023, when its F-35A Lightning II jets executed the first conventional takeoff and landing variant highway operations in history.
The Norwegian jets carried the distinctive drag chute housing fairing between the vertical tails, although the chute was not deployed during the drills.
In 2024, two F-35A aircraft from the United States Air Force 495th Fighter Squadron joined the exercise, marking the first time a U.S. fighter operated from a Finnish highway strip. The deployment expanded U.S. Agile Combat Employment capabilities by exposing American crews to austere environment procedures developed by Finnish counterparts.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force followed in 2025, sending its F-35As to practice the same dispersed operations techniques.
The 2026 edition now adds the Italian Air Force to the list of F-35 operators trained on the Finnish road base, while also introducing the STOVL F-35B variant to the highway operations community for the first time.
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