On 26 April 2024, a F/A-18C Hornet was flown from Tampere-Pirkkala to Halli by the commander of the Finnish air force, Major General Juha-Pekka Keränen. This event marked the start of the type’s withdrawal from Ilmavoimat service.



Text and photos: Emiel Sloot

Fleet leader

Being the first Hornet sent into retirement, HN-401 was also the air arm’s first of this type to enter service. Completed by Patria Finavitec, it left the assembly line at Halli in 1996 as the so-called Hornet fleet leader. As such, it flew extensively in various test and evaluation profiles. Furthermore, the airframe endured more stress than average to proactively gather information on the effects of use on the aircraft’s structure. The resulting information assisted in establishing measures that benefitted the rest of the fleet. However, these particular flight profiles along with the large number of flying hours also meant that HN-401’s service life has now come to an end.

Following the accumulation of some 4,500 flight hours, utilization of HN-401 will continue after its last flight. At Halli, the same location where this aircraft was built, it will now be partly disassembled and its parts will be used to keep the rest of the fleet operational. Being in its heydays, the Finnish Hornet will be fully replaced by Lockheed F-35A Lightning II aircraft by the end of the decade.