Ramstein Flag 26: NATO sends 50+ warplanes to Finland as Tervo road is closed for emergency runway
NATO's Ramstein Flag 26 exercise will bring over 50 military aircraft and about 1,300 personnel to Finland, and regional road 551 in Tervo will be closed for use as an emergency runway from 7 to 14 June.
Traffic disruptions and a temporary closure of regional road 551 in Tervo are expected as NATO launches the Ramstein Flag 26 air exercise in Finland on Monday, running until Midsummer Eve, YLE reported.
The exercise spans nearly two weeks across a theatre from Northern Europe to Spain, involving 18 NATO countries and more than 200 aircraft. Finland will host over 50 aircraft and about 1,300 personnel.
The drills are co‑hosted by Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Spain, and all Finnish Air Force units will take part, practising mobile combat operations alongside allied forces.
Rovaniemi will host visiting fighters from Germany, the United States and Spain, including US Marine Corps F‑35B jets capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, a capability Finland's F‑35A fleet does not have. At the Air Warfare School in Jyväskylä Tikkakoski, Spanish and Polish fighters and training aircraft will be based. Pirkkala will host US F‑35A jets and NATO RQ‑4D Phoenix surveillance drones.
Regional road 551 will be used as an emergency runway and is closed between Karttula and Tervo from 7 to 14 June. Local residents will still be able to access their homes.
Catch the full story over at YLE
