Finnish Air Force The Finnish Air Force ( FAF or FiAF ) ( , ) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces . Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance , identification flights , and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions . As a separate branch of the military , the Finnish Air Force was founded on 4 May 1928 , having existed officially since 6 March 1918 as the Army Corps of Aviation . History . The first steps in the history of Finnish aviation were taken with Russian aircraft . The Russian military had a number of early designs stationed in the country , which until the Russian Revolution of 1917 had been part of the Russian Empire . Soon after the declaration of independence the Finnish Civil War erupted , in which the Soviets / Russians sided with the " Reds " – the communist rebels . Finland ' s White Guard , the " Whites " , managed to seize a few aircraft from the Russians , but were forced to rely on foreign pilots and aircraft . Sweden refused to send men and material , but individual Swedish citizens came to the aid of the " Whites " . The editor of the Swedish daily magazine " Aftonbladet " , Waldemar Langlet , bought a N . A . B . Albatros aircraft from the Nordiska Aviatik A . B . factory with funds gathered by the " Finlands vänner " ( " Friends of Finland " ) organization . This aircraft , the first to arrive from Sweden , was flown via Haparanda on 25 February 1918 by Swedish pilots John - Allan Hygerth ( who on March 10 became the first commander of the Finnish Air Force ) and Per Svanbäck . The aircraft made a stop at Kokkola and had to make a forced landing in Jakobstad when its engine broke down . It was later given the Finnish Air Force designation F . 2 ( " F " coming from the Swedish word " Flygmaskin " , meaning " aircraft " ) . Swedish count Eric von Rosen gave the Finnish White government its second aircraft , a Thulin Typ D . Its pilot , Lieutenant Nils Kindberg , flew the aircraft to Vaasa on 6 March 1918 , carrying von Rosen as a passenger . As this gift ran counter to the will of the Swedish government , and no flight permit had been given , it resulted in Kindberg receiving a 100 kronor fine for leaving the country without permission . This aircraft is considered by some to be the first aircraft of the Finnish Air Force , since the Finnish Air Force did not officially exist during the Civil War , and it was only the " Red " side who flew a few aircraft with the help of some Russian pilots . The von Rosen aircraft was given the designation F . 1 . The Finnish Air Force is one of the oldest air forces of the world – the RAF was founded as the first independent branch on 1 April 1918 and the Swedish " Flygvapnet " in 1925 . Von Rosen had painted his personal good luck charm on the Thulin Typ D aircraft . This charm – a blue swastika , the ancient symbol of the sun and good luck – was adopted as the insignia of the Finnish Air Force . The white circular background was created when the Finns tried to paint over the advertisement from the Thulin air academy . The swastika was officially taken into use after an order by Mannerheim on 18 March 1918 . The FAF had to change the insignia after 1945 , due to an Allied Control Commission decree , where the swastika had to be abandoned due to its association with Nazism . The F . 1 aircraft was destroyed in an accident , killing its crew , not long after it had been handed over to the Finns . On 7 September 1920 , two newly purchased Savoia flying boats crashed in the Swiss Alps en route to Finland , killing all on - board ( three Finns and one Italian ) . This day has since been the memorial day for fallen pilots . The Finnish Air Force assigns the matriculation numbers to its aircraft by assigning each type a two - letter code following by dash and an individual aircraft number . The two - letter code usually refers to the aircraft manufacturer or model , such as HN for F / A - 18 Hornet , DK for Saab 35 Draken , VN for Valmet Vinka etc . The Finnish Civil War 1918 . The air activity of the Reds . Most of the airbases that the Russians had left in Finland had been taken over by Whites after the Russian pilots had returned to Russia . The Reds were in possession of a few airbases and a few Russian aircraft , mainly amphibious aircraft . They had 12 aircraft in all . The Reds did not have any pilots themselves , so they hired some of the Russian pilots that had stayed behind . On 24 February 1918 five aircraft arrived to Viipuri , and were quickly transferred to Riihimäki . The Reds created air units in Helsinki , Tampere , Kouvola , and Viipuri . There were no overall headquarters , but the individual units served under the commander of the individual front line . A flight school was created in Helsinki , but no students were trained there before the fall of Helsinki . Two of the aircraft , one reconnaissance aircraft ( Nieuport 10 ) and one fighter aircraft ( Nieuport 17 ) that had arrived to Riihimäki were sent to Tampere , and three to Kouvola . Four Russian pilots and six mechanics also arrived to Tampere . The first war sortie was flown on March 1 , 1918 over Naistenlahti . It seems like the Reds also operated two aircraft over the Eastern front . The Reds mainly performed reconnaissance , bombing sorties , spreading of propaganda leaflets , and artillery spotting . The Reds ' air activity wasn ’ t particularly successful . Their air operations suffered from bad leadership , worn - out aircraft , and the un - motivated Russian pilots . Some of the aircraft were captured by the Whites , while the rest were destroyed . The air activity of the Whites . In January 1918 the Whites did not have a single aircraft , nor pilots , so they asked the Swedes for help . Sweden was a neutral nation and it could not send any official help . Sweden also forbid its pilots to go to Finland . However , one Morane - Saulnier Parasol , and three N . A . B . Albatros arrived from Sweden by the end of February 1918 . Two of the Albatross aircraft were gifts from persons supporting the White Finnish cause , while the third was bought . It was initially meant that the aircraft would be used to support the air operations of the Whites , but the aircraft proved unsuitable . The Whites also did not have any pilots , so all the pilots and mechanics came from Sweden . One of the Finnish Jägers , Lieutenant Bertil Månsson , had been given pilot training in the imperial Germany , but he stayed behind in Germany , trying to secure aircraft deals for Finland . During the Civil War the White Finnish Air Force consisted of : The air activity consisted mainly of reconnaissance sorties . The Germans brought several of their own aircraft , but they did not contribute much to the overall outcome of the war . The first Air Force Base of independent Finland was founded on the shore near Kolho . The base could operate three aircraft . The first aircraft was brought by rail on March 7 , 1918 , and on March 17 , 1918 the first aircraft took off from the base . In 1918 , the Finns took over nine Russian Stetinin M - 9 aircraft that had been left behind . The first air operation of the Whites during the war was flown over Lyly . It was a reconnaissance gathering mission as the front line moved south , towards Tampere , the AFB was moved first to Orivesi and then to Kaukajärvi near Tampere . The contribution of the White air force during the war was almost insignificant . From March 10 , 1918 , the Finnish Air Force was led by the Swedish Lt . John . Allan Hygerth . He was however replaced on April 18 , 1918 , due to his unsuitability for the position and numerous accidents . His job was taken over by the German Captain Carl Seber , who commanded the air force from April 28 , 1918 until December 13 , 1918 . By the end of the Civil War , the Finnish Air Force had 40 aircraft , of which 20 had been captured from the Reds ( the Reds did not operate this many aircraft , but some had been found abandoned by the Russians on the Åland Islands ) . Five of the aircraft had been flown by the Allies from Russia , four had been gifts from Sweden and eight had been bought from Germany . Winter War 1939 – 40 . The Winter War began on November 30 , 1939 , when the Soviet Air Force bombed 21 Finnish cities and municipalities . The Soviet Union is estimated to have had about 5 , 000 aircraft in 1939 , and of these , some 700 fighters and 800 medium bombers were brought to the Finnish front to support the Red Army ' s operations . As with most aerial bombardment of the early stages of WW2 , the damage against the Finnish industry and railways was quite limited . At the beginning of the Winter War , the Finnish Air Force was equipped with only 17 bombers and 31 fighters . There were also 54 liaison aircraft but 20 of these were only used for messengers . The most modern aircraft in the Finnish arsenal were the British - designed Bristol Blenheim bombers that had been license - built in Finland . The primary fighter aircraft was the Fokker D . XXI , a cheap but maneuverable design with fabric - covered fuselage and fixed landing gear . On paper , this force should have been no match for the attacking Soviet Red Air Force . In order to prevent their aircraft from being destroyed on the ground , the Finns spread out their aircraft to many different airfields and hid them in the nearby forests . The Finns constructed many decoys and built shrapnel protection walls for the aircraft . Soviet air raids on Finnish airfields usually caused little or no damage as a result , and often resulted in interception of the attackers by the Finns as the bombers flew homeward . As the war progressed , the Finns tried desperately to purchase aircraft wherever there were any to be found . This policy resulted in a very diverse aircraft inventory , which was to cause some major logistical problems until the inventory became more standardized . The Finnish Air Force was to consist of numerous American , British , Czechoslovakian , Dutch , French , German , Italian , Soviet , and Swedish designs . Other countries , like South Africa and Denmark , sent aircraft to assist in the Finnish war effort . Many of these purchases and gifts did not arrive until the end of the hostilities , but were to see action later during the Continuation and Lapland wars . To make up for its weaknesses ( few and obsolete fighters ) the FiAF mainly focused on attacking enemy bombers from directions that were disadvantageous to the enemy . Soviet fighters were usually superior in firepower , speed and agility , and were to be avoided unless the enemy was in a disadvantageous position . A good example of the wisdom of this strategy was the surprise attack on the Immola air base in late February 1940 by some 40 Soviet fighters . The Finns were surprised during take off and lost seven planes , one Fokker D . XXI and six Gloster Gladiators . As a result off these tactics , the Finnish Air Force managed to shoot down 218 Soviet aircraft during the Winter War while losing only 47 to enemy fire . The Finnish anti - aircraft also had 314 confirmed downed enemy planes . 30 Soviet planes were captured – these were " kills " that landed more or less intact within Finland and were quickly repaired . Continuation War 1941 – 44 . The Finnish Air Force was better prepared for the Continuation War . It had been considerably strengthened and consisted of some 550 aircraft , though many were considered second - rate and thus " exportable " by their countries of origin . Finland purchased a large number of aircraft during the Winter War , but few of those reached service during the short conflict . Politics also played a factor , since Hitler did not wish to antagonize the Soviet Union by allowing aircraft exports through German - controlled territory during the conflict . New aircraft types were in place by the time hostilities with Soviet Union resumed in 1941 . Small numbers of Hawker Hurricane s arrived from the United Kingdom , Morane - Saulnier M . S . 406 s from France , Fiat G . 50 s from Italy , a few dozen Curtiss Hawk 75s captured by the Germans in France and Norway then sold to Finland , when Germany began warming up its ties with Finland , and numerous Brewster B239 s from the neutral USA strengthened the FiAF . The FiAF proved capable of holding its own in the upcoming battles with the Red Air Force . Older models , like the Fokker D . XXI and Gloster Gladiator , were replaced in front - line combat units with the new aircraft . The FiAF ' s main mission was to achieve air superiority over Finland and prevent Soviet air power from reinforcing their front lines . The fighter squadrons were very successful in the Finnish offensive of 1941 . A stripped - down , more maneuverable , and significantly lightened version of the American Brewster B239 " Buffalo " was the FiAF ' s main fighter until 1943 . Results with this fighter were very good , even though the type was considered to be a failure in the US Navy and with British Far East forces . In the Finnish use , the Brewster had a victory rate of 32 : 1 – 459 kills to 15 losses . German Bf 109 s replaced the Brewster as the primary front - line fighter of the FiAF in 1943 , though the Buffalos continued in secondary roles until the end of the wars . Other types , especially the Italian Fiat G . 50 and Curtiss Hawk 75 also proved capable in the hands of well - trained Finnish pilots . Various Russian designs also saw action when lightly damaged " kills " were repaired and made airworthy . Dornier Do 17 s ( received as a gift from Hermann Göring in 1942 ) and Junkers Ju 88 s improved the bombing capability of the Finnish Air Force . The bomber force was also strengthened with a number of captured Soviet bombers , which had been taken in large numbers by the Germans during Operation Barbarossa . The bomber units flew assorted missions with varying results , but a large part of their time was spent in training , waiting to use their aircraft until the time required it . Thus the bomber squadrons of Flying Regiment 4 were ready for the summer battles of 1944 , which included for example the Battle of Tali - Ihantala . While the FiAF was successful in its mission , the conditions were not easy . Spare parts for the FiAF planes were scarce — parts from the US ( Buffalo & Hawk ) , Britain ( Hurricanes ) , and Italy ( G . 50 ) were unavailable for much of the war . Repairs took often a long time , and the State Aircraft Factory was burdened with restoration / repair of Soviet war booty planes , foreign aircraft with many hours of flight time , and the development of indigenous Finnish fighter types . Also , one damaged bomber took up workshop space equalling three fighters . Finland was required to expel or intern remaining German forces as part of its peace agreement with the Soviets in mid - 1944 . As a result , the final air battles were against retreating Luftwaffe units . The Finnish Air Force did not bomb any civilian targets during either war . Curiously , overflying Soviet towns and bases was also forbidden , as to avoid any unneeded provocations and to spare equipment . According to Kalevi Keskinen ' s and Kari Stenman ' s book " Aerial Victories 1 – 2 " " , the Finnish Air Force shot down 1 , 621 Soviet aircraft while losing 210 of its own aircraft during the Continuation War . Post - WW2 . The end of World War II , and the Paris peace talks of 1947 brought with it some limitations to the FiAF . Among these were that the Finnish Air Force were to have : These revisions followed closely Soviet demands . When Britain tried to add some of their own ( fearing that the provisions were there only to augment the Soviet air - defences ) they were opposed by the Soviets . The revisions were again revised in 1963 and Finland was allowed to buy guided missiles and a few bombers that were used as target - tugs . The FAF also managed to find a loop - hole to strengthen the capacity by purchasing large numbers of two - seater aircraft , which counted as trainer aircraft and were not included in the revisions . These aircraft could have secondary roles . During the Cold War years , Finland tried to balance its purchases between east , west and domestic producers . This led to a diverse inventory of Soviet , British , Swedish , French and Finnish aircraft . After leading Finnish politicians held unofficial talks with their Swedish counterparts , Sweden began storing surplus Saab 35 Drakens , which were to be transferred to Finland in the event of a war with the Soviet Union . These were kept until the 1980s . On September 22 , 1990 , a mere week before the unification of Germany , Finland declared that the limiting treaties were no longer active and that all the provisions of the Paris Peace Treaties were nullified . The signatory states abstained from diplomatic notes regarding the declaration , which thus confirmed the nullification . Today , the FAF is organized into three Air Defence Wings , each assigned to one of the three air defence areas into which Finland is divided . The main Wing bases are at Rovaniemi , Tampere and Kuopio - Rissala , each with one front - line squadron . Pilot training is undertaken at the Central Flying School , Kauhava , with advanced conversion performed at squadron level . Aircraft Inventory . Aircraft . The primary fighter of the air force is the F - 18 Hornet . Training is done with Valmet Vinkas and BAE Hawks . Transport is done with C - 295s and PC - 12s . Some aircraft are scheduled for replacement : The Fokker F . 27s will continue to serve side - by - side with the C - 295Ms but are due to be replaced in a few years time . . The Hawk Mk . 51s and 51As are to be replaced by new planes of a so far unknown model in the next decade , and as an interim solution Swiss Mk . 66s have been purchased . The Finnish Air Force also planned to purchase 2 – 3 larger transport aircraft , to fulfill the requirements for domestic operations and for troop and logistics transports in international operations , as well as to form a tactical reserve for the evacuating of people from hazardous areas . The suggestions ranged from the Airbus A330 MRTT , Airbus A400M to the C - 17 Globemaster III . On March 25 , 2008 , it was decided that Finland would join NATO Strategic Airlift Capability programme , which comprises a joint purchase of three C - 17s by the new NATO countries and Sweden and Finland . F - 18 Hornet . The F - 18 Hornet is the Finnish Air Force variant of the Boeing IDS F / A - 18 Hornet multi - role attack and fighter aircraft . The aircraft is almost identical to a late F / A - 18C / D used by the US Navy , as well as the Hornets used by the Swiss Air Force , although no air - to - ground equipment or weapons were purchased with the aircraft . The decision to rename the aircraft to F - 18 was mainly a political decision to underline the air defense role of the fighters . The decision to purchase the aircraft ( 64 in total , with 7 two - seat F - 18D models and 57 single - seated F - 18C models ) was made in 1992 , soon after the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union . The original plan was to buy about 40 western fighters and about 20 Soviet fighters due to political reasons , but after the collapse of the Soviet Union this was no longer necessary . The plan changed to 60 single - seat + 7 dual seat fighters of the same type , and the F - 18 won the contest . To keep the budget the number of fighters to be purchased was decreased by three , to 57 + 7 . The 57 single - seat aircraft were produced in Finland by Patria . A key goal in the Finnish foreign policy of that era was to take no action that might be interpreted by the Soviets as a security threat ; a weapons purchase of this magnitude certainly applied . Buying only NATO - compatible , American fighter jets was not possible for Finland before the U . S . S . R . ' s collapse . The F - 18 Hornet is the second U . S . Navy fighter in the Finnish Air Force , following the 1939 purchase of the Brewster F2A . Attack capability upgrade . On 7 December 2004 the Finnish Air Force announced that the aircraft will be modified to improve their ground attack capabitity . The modifications will include upgrades to radars , avionics and sensors , and a number of advanced weapons ( such as JDAM , JSOW , SLAM - ER , and AARGM ) will be tried out . Additionally the FAF has obtained 250 AIM - 9X and 300 AIM - 120C - 7 AMRAAM missiles . In December 2007 it was announced that the FAF had purchased ten AN / AAQ - 28 LITENING AT Block II pods , which were to be integrated with its F - 18s . In April 2009 , it was announced that the air force was considering both the AGM - 158 JASSM and the Taurus missile for the aircraft . In March 2012 , the Finnish Defense Forces placed an order valued at 178 . 5 million Euros for an unspecified number of AGM - 158C missiles and the requisite software upgrades , training missiles and documentation for their F - 18s . Some 11 AGM - 158C missiles with unitary warheads and 96 JDAM kits have so far been purchased . F - 18C to F - 18D conversion . One Finnish Air Force F - 18C was destroyed and one heavily damaged in a mid air collision in 2001 . The Finnish Air Force decided to purchase the front fuselage of a Canadian Air Force CF - 18B and use it to modify the damaged F - 18C into a two - seat F - 18D variant . The transformation was completed in 2009 . The aircraft crashed during a test flight on 21 January 2010 due to stabilizer servomotor failure that caused the fighter ' s computer to switch to mechanical steering . The pilots had to eject because they were unable to gain control of the aircraft due to the failure . Helicopters . The Finnish Air Force operated helicopters until the end of the 1990s when all were transferred to the army wing . All helicopters are attached to the Utti Jaeger Regiment ' s Helicopter Battalion at Utti Jaeger Regiment . Helicopter types include Hughes 500D , Hughes 500E and 20 NHI NH90 . UAVs . All UAVs are currently operated by the Army ' s Artillery brigade . The UAV Unit is stationed in Niinisalo . The Army operates the RUAG Ranger . Patria has also developed a Mini - UAV , which has been field tested by the Finnish Army . Organization . The Air Force is organised into three air commands , each of which operates a fighter squadron . In addition , the Air Force includes a number of other units : Mobilized strength . Total of 38 , 000 personnel