Finnish Air Force Commander, Major General Timo Herranen, has sought to address concerns about the reliability of F-35 fighter jets.
The worries were raised in response to the US' warming diplomatic relations with Russia.
Herranen stated in a review on the Air Force's website that the aircraft does not contain a so-called "kill switch" that would allow the United States to disable the jets by halting software updates.
"We have reliably operated American equipment for thirty years, despite similar claims being made during the F/A-18 Hornet procurement about the possibility of capability being disabled," Herranen said.
He expressed confidence that the United States and Lockheed Martin would ensure the operational capability of Finland’s F-35 fleet in all circumstances, given the decades-long partnership. He also noted that all modern weapons systems, including those used in Europe, contain software components primarily originating from the United States.
"Such dependencies exist in all Western fighter jets, including every aircraft considered during our procurement assesments," he stated.
Herranen argued that, given the current security environment, discussions should focus more on increasing European defence production rather than concerns about Western interdependence in military technology.
Questions about the reliability of American weapon systems have emerged in Europe following US President Donald Trump's decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine and seek closer ties with Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
Kill switch?
Concerns over a potential "kill switch" have been raised in countries such as Germany and Switzerland, but both Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon have denied such claims.
Amid these discussions, Portugal and Canada have announced they will reassess their planned F-35 acquisitions.
Herranen stated that Finland remains committed to the F-35, which is scheduled to be in service until the 2060s.
"The aircraft is currently in use not only in the US fleet but also in the UK, Israel, Italy, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands. The fleet of over 1,100 operational aircraft surpassed one million flight hours in March," he said.
Poland, Switzerland, Romania and Germany have also signed procurement contracts for the fighter.
Herranen emphasised that the F-35 programme, valued at hundreds of billions of dollars, has significant economic and strategic implications for the United States and its allies.
"It is no surprise that many nations have chosen the F-35. During procurement assessments, its capabilities were unmatched. As the project has progressed, the Air Force’s understanding of its capability has deepened and been further confirmed," he concluded.