Thousands of Finnish Air Force personnel are taking part in air operations exercises around the country this week.
The Hanki 24 drills started on Monday and were scheduled to continue until Saturday 2 March.
The exercises are the Air Force's main drills of the year. They involve around 2,300 reservists from the Air Force Academy and Lapland Air Wing. A total of around 3,800 personnel are taking part in the exercises, including the reservists.
The drill's main operating bases are located in Tikkakoski in Central Finland's Jyväskylä as well as Rovaniemi, in Finnish Lapland, but other airfields will also be used, according to the Air Force.
Most of the week's air operations will start on Wednesday, while the drills will be completed by 5pm on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday to Friday, the drills will be held from 7am-9pm, while the air exercises will end by 2pm on Saturday.
According to Exercise Director, Brigadier General Timo Herranen, the objective of the exercise is to develop the Air Force's readiness and capabilities.
"We will train base operations and the implementation of large-force air operations from dispersed locations. One of the most important training goals is to give our reservists practice, in winter conditions, of tasks laid down in the Air Force operational concept," Herranen said in a press release issued earlier this month.
"Versatile and realistic" scenarios
The exercise will involve around 40 aircraft, 30 of which are F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters. The drills also include Hawk jet trainers, as well as transport and liaison aircraft.
Hanki 24 will provide units with combat training in "versatile and realistic" scenarios "in the air and at the bases", according to the release.
The training will also involve the use of stretches of highway nearby both main air bases, which will result in the closure of Highway 4 in Tikkakoski and road 9523 (Norvatie) in Rovaniemi.
While the drills will not include flight detachments from other countries, control and reporting centre personnel from the Royal Air Force will take part, while Finnish aircraft will also use Sweden's Kallax Air Base during the exercises.
"Cooperation with Nato allies will be further developed in the Nordic Response 24 exercise starting right after Hanki 24," the press release read.
"The Hanki 24 air activity will involve flight operations at low altitudes and supersonic flying at an altitude of more than 10 kilometres above the mainland. During the exercise, fighters will deploy countermeasures such as flares and chaff. Flares may be seen as momentary bright spots of light in the sky, and chaff may cause echoes on weather radar," the release explained.
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