Norwegian F-35s wrap up their NATO deployment to Iceland.
Norwegian Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft have just wrapped up a NATO deployment aimed at securing Iceland’s airspace.
Four F-35s were on standby ready to be scrambled if an unidentified aircraft came close to Icelandic airspace. The Air Policing mission for Iceland is provided periodically by NATO member countries for three to four weeks at a time, as Iceland does not have armed forces of its own. NATO Air Policing, which takes place over the entire Alliance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, is a peacetime mission that aims to preserve the security of Alliance airspace.
The Norwegian deployment ran from 19 January until 9 February 2023. This is the second time Norway has sent fifth-generation fighter jets to cover Icelandic airspace.
Iceland is an important player in this obviously As you know, they don't have their own armed forces, but they do support with their coast guard and their coast guard is running their air surveillance mission here in Iceland, which is in place with their radars and systems to be able to make and maintain a 24/7 surveillance of the airspace around Iceland. And then we integrated that part by being a first responder capability with their two F-35s that are on constant alert to be sent on their ways to intercept and identify any kind of threat to the airspace around us.
All the F-35 is what we call a fifth-gen aircraft and has multiple capabilities that are SA enhancing. So situational awareness enhancing for doing a mission like this. It's got awesome sensors that keep a good lookout on what's going on around us. So when we integrate that with the radar capability that is already existing in Iceland, it makes for a very good combination to keep a good understanding of what's going on.
