Finnish Air Force highway strip exercise in Mikkeli in November 2025

The Finnish Air Force’s Imminent Field 25 highway strip exercise will cause changes in traffic arrangements and movement restrictions in the area of the Hiirola highway strip in Mikkeli from 23 to 28 November 2025.

In the exercise, F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets and other Air Force aircraft will employ the Hiirola highway strip as a road base. All the units of the Finnish Air Force will take part in the exercise. Flight operations will begin on Monday 24 November at 10 am and end on Thursday 27 November by 9 pm. Daily flight operations start in the morning at 9 am (Tue‒Thu) and end in the evening by 11 pm (Mon‒Wed).

The Imminent Field exercise will involve flight operations at low altitudes. Noise abatement procedures are followed in the vicinity of the air bases whenever practical.

The Finnish Air Force trains regularly to operate from other locations than the main operating bases to be capable to quickly disperse air assets across the country, if necessary. Operating from road bases is part of the flight training of all Finnish Air Force fighter pilots.

The Finnish Defence Forces will take the area surrounding the highway strip into military use by an administrative decision. There will be movement restrictions during the exercise. Drone flying and hunting will be prohibited in the area restricted by administrative decision.

Traffic arrangements and movement restrictions in Hiirola area

Karelia Air Wing will take into military use the Hiirola highway strip and its surroundings from 23 to 28 November 2025. The flight operations will cause changes in traffic arrangements due to the closure of main road 72 between Mikkeli and Pieksämäki, as well as movement restrictions for the residents in the surrounding area during the exercise.

Link to the first press release  Finnish Air Force to train in Mikkeli in November 2025