US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning IIs made history by conducting flight operations from a highway in Tervo, Finland. The aircraft, assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing’s Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 224, were part of the NATO-led Exercise Ramstein Flag 2026.
The exercise, which took place from June 8-12, featured 19 nations operating out of 15 locations, including the US, Spain, and Poland. The highway air operations involved the US F-35s, Spanish EF-18s, and Polish F-16s, as well as Finnish air force F/A-18 Hornets.
The non-traditional operation was designed to test combat adaptability in an increasingly contested Arctic, with air command and control coordinated from NATO’s Combined Air Operations Center in Bodo, Norway. The exercise demonstrated NATO’s determination to counter modern and emerging threats through distributed operations across NATO’s Joint Operations Areas.
