US Air Force armourers handle a JASSM-ER missile of the type that Finland is to acquire for its F-35As. (US DoD)

Finland is to acquire additional Lockheed Martin AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile – Extended Range (JASSM-ER) systems, Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen announced on 31 May.

Having previously procured the baseline AGM-158A JASSM-version of the stealthy next-generation stand-off weapon for the Finnish Air Force's fleet of Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet combat aircraft, this follow-on order of the JASSM-ER will cover the soon-to-be-delivered Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

“The procurement that will be carried out by the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command supplements the F-35 multirole fighter system's capability with the precision-guided munition of a longer than previous range,” Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command said, following the announcement.

The enhancement of the Nackeroo Airstrip will allow Australia and the United States to land numbers of Boeing C-17As and Bell Boeing MV-22s at the site. (Commonwealth of Australia)

Australia's Nackeroo Airstrip has been upgraded to support the operations of large transport aircraft for training exercises, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has said.

Nackeroo Airstrip is located within Australia's Bradshaw Field Training Area in the Northern Territory. The Australian DoD said on 31 May that upgrades to the airstrip include the “extension of the runway and adding parking positions for aircraft, including [Boeing] C-17A Globemaster and [Bell Boeing] MV-22 Osprey aircraft”.

Satellite imagery from April 2021 shows that Nackeroo initially comprised a 1,700 m-long dirt strip. DoD photographs from May 2024 show that the runway area has now been concertised with a 500 m-wide apron. Janes assesses that this apron supports the parking of up to 10 MV-22s or six C-17As at a time.

Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35As operated by 313 Squadron at Volkel Air Base will now undertake the country's nuclear mission on behalf of NATO. (Royal Netherlands Air Force)

The Netherlands has become the first operator of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) to publicly declare that its aircraft have now taken on the nuclear mission.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) said that it had now fully transitioned the nuclear deterrence mission it performs on behalf of NATO over to the F-35A from the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon.

“On 1 June the [F-35A] advanced fighter aircraft [took] over the nuclear role of the Netherlands within NATO from the F-16,” the RNLAF said. “The Netherlands is one of the NATO allies that contributes dual-capable aircraft [DCA] to NATO's nuclear deterrence, and is the first European country transitioning to the F-35 in that context.”

The Netherlands is acquiring 52 F-35As to cover nuclear and conventional strike roles. With the type flown across two squadrons based at Leeuwarden Air Base (322 Squadron) and Volkel Air Base (313 Squadron) respectively, it is the latter that will perform the nuclear role.