The Finnish Air Force is getting ready for the Ruska 22 air operations exercise which will run from 3-8 October 2022 and will involve 50 aircraft and around 3,700 personnel at different locations across Finland.
Ruska 22 will be the Finnish Air Force’s main exercise in 2022 and all air force units will participate in the event that will cover a large part of Finland.
This year, the focus will be on training the reservists of Lapland Air Command and Air Force Academy. Consequently, the main bases will be Rovaniemi and Tikkakoski in Jyväskylä.
In total, the exercise will involve around 50 aircraft, the majority of them being F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters. In addition to the F/A-18s, participating aircraft will include Hawk jet trainers, Air Force transport and liaison aircraft, an Army NH90 transport helicopter and Swedish Air Force JAS 39 Gripen multi-role fighters.
Operating out of Rovaniemi Air Base, the Swedish fighter detachment will participate in the exercise as part of Finland’s air defence and train with base operations.
Exercise Director, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Force Command Finland, Colonel Henrik Elo said:
“Ruska 22 is an important exercise especially in terms of training our reservists. Troops consisting of reservists are a cornerstone of the Air Force’s dispersed and mobile operational concept. Exercises such as Ruska maintain and develop our readiness to execute demanding air operations by taking advantage of the extensive base network.”
