Nokia Opens Factory in Finland for F-35 Engines Assembly

Finnish company Nokia has officially broken ground on a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the assembly and maintenance of engines for the F-35 fighters.

The Ministry of Defence of Finland announced this on its official website.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on March 14, 2025, at the future site of the plant in Linnavuori, where F-135 engines will be both assembled and serviced.

This construction is part of extensive cooperation between the Finnish defense sector and the F-35 program, which is currently the most successful fighter jet project in the world.

The assembly and maintenance hall, which is set to be completed in the fall of 2025, will rapidly repair F135 engines for European users. This will also help reduce the workload of Pratt & Whitney, the company that manufactures these engines.

“Strengthening domestic maintenance capabilities will ensure the continued operational readiness of the Finnish Air Force’s F-35 engines in any conditions,” stated Antti Häkkänen, Finland’s Minister of Defence.

The new multifunctional facilities are being constructed by Puolustuskiinteistöt and will be operated by Patria, a strategic partner of the Finnish Defence Forces.

Patria has been servicing and repairing engines and their components for various Defence Force systems in Linnavuori for decades.

Maintenance operations at Nokia will continue throughout the entire lifecycle of Finland’s F-35 fleet.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Finnish defense company Patria and the American company Lockheed Martin had signed the first agreement under the program for Finland’s direct involvement in the F-35 production.

The framework agreement outlines the assembly of the front fuselage in Finland, both for aircraft to be supplied to the Finnish Air Force and for international F-35 customers. This involves the production of 400 units planned under this agreement.

In February 2022, Finland entered into an industrial cooperation agreement with fighter jet manufacturer Lockheed Martin and engine producer Pratt & Whitney.

The Finnish Air Force is set to receive 64 F-35A Block 4 multirole fighters between 2025 and 2030.