Why The F-35B Is The Only Stealth Fighter That Can Land On A Finnish Highway

The F-35B is described as the only operational stealth fighter that can repeatedly land and take off from a closed public highway without arresting gear or a prepared runway, a capability attributed to its shaft-driven lift fan. The article points to a training period from June 8 to June 12, 2026, when US Marine Corps F-35Bs from VMFA-224 conducted multiple highway land-and-takeoff operations on a road strip in Tervo, Finland. It notes the exercise also marked the first time Polish and Spanish military aircraft operated from a Finnish roadway and the first US Marine Corps F-35 deployment to Finland, following the cancellation of a planned USMC F-35 presence at Norway’s Cold Response in March. The operations were held during Ramstein Flag 2026, NATO’s multi-domain exercise involving 18 nations and more than 15 locations from northern Norway to southern Spain, with F-35Bs working alongside Spanish F-18s and Polish F-16s.