NATO Defense Chiefs Meeting Scrapped After Fighter Jet Crash
World NATO Defense Chiefs Meeting Scrapped After Fighter Jet Crash
An F/A-18 fighter jet. This illustrative image from June 4, 2024, shows an F/A-18 fighter jet taking off during Swiss Air force tests.A meeting of defense ministers from NATO's Nordic members was cut short after a fighter jet crashed in a military area in the north of Finland.
Finland's defense forces said an F/A-18 Hornet fighter crashed near an airport in the Arctic Circle, close to where a Nordic Defense Cooperation (Nordefco) meeting was taking place.
The pilot ejected safely, but the part of the meeting that followed the crash was called off, according to The Barents Observer. No cause has been given for the crash.
Newsweek reached out to Finland's defense forces for comment.
What To Know
Finland's air force said in a statement that the pilot of an F/A-18 Hornet fighter took off near Rovaniemi Air Base, by the Arctic Circle, at 10.45 a.m. Wednesday for a flight display exercise of aerobatic maneuvers. The F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine multirole combat aircraft designed as both a fighter and an attack aircraft.
Five minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed in the airport area. The pilot ejected to safety, and the plane crashed on the edge of the runway area near the Lapland Air Command Base.
The fuselage caught fire, and Finnish media reported heavy black smoke in the accident area, which was cordoned off. Flights continued from the airport, and the pilot was later discharged from the hospital. The Finnish air force posted an image of the crash site on X.
The defense ministry statement did not give a cause for the crash, which sparked heavy black smoke and led to a road closure, although the airport remained open.
The crash took place on the second day of the Nordic Defence Cooperation (Nordefco) meeting, which involved ministers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Finland's Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said in a statement ahead of the meeting that issues related to NATO, the European Union, and the war in Ukraine were on the agenda.
The fighter jet's crash is believed to have happened after the main parts of the meeting had ended, according to The Barents Observer, which said an agreement had been signed by ministers on Tuesday.
What People Are Saying
Finland's defense forces: "On Wednesday 7 May 2025 at 10.45 a.m., a Hornet pilot from the Lapland Air Command began a flight that took place in the immediate vicinity of Rovaniemi Air Base...the flight was interrupted at 10:50 a.m. when the plane crashed in the airport area."
What Happens Next
The Finnish defense ministry gave no cause for the crash, but local media reported that an investigation is expected to be launched. Meanwhile, Finland will phase out the Hornet aircraft, replacing the 60 planes it has with the F-35A by 2030.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 12:30 PM.
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