Patria completes F-35 fighter jet engine facility in Nokia

Patria has completed the assembly and maintenance facility for F-35 fighter jet engines located in Linnavuori, Nokia, on schedule. The facility, constructed by Defence Properties Finland, has been handed over to Patria. As the strategic partner of the Finnish Defence Forces, Patria is responsible for assembling, maintaining, and servicing F135 engines.

The production facility will initially serve as assembly spaces for the engines and will later be converted for engine maintenance and overhaul. Finland’s first F-35A fighters are expected to arrive at the Lapland Air Wing base in Rovaniemi at the end of 2026. Maintenance activities will continue in Nokia throughout the entire lifecycle of Finland’s F-35 fleet.

The facilities were constructed in accordance with the objectives and high security requirements of the F-35 program and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, as part of the F-35 program’s industrial cooperation. The purpose of the industrial participation, led by the Finnish Ministry of Defence, is to secure domestic security of supply and create employment.

Under an agreement with Pratt & Whitney, Patria will assemble F135 engines and components from 2025 to 2030. This will be followed by a transition to F135 engine Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade (MRO&U) operations, beginning in 2030. The direct employment impact for Patria between 2025 and 2030 is estimated at around 50 people.