In joint training above the skies along the coastline to the North Atlantic, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish fighter jets demonstrate what will be NATO’s new powerful capacities in the north.
“The main objectives of this activity is to train planning and leadership of allied forces in the north, as well as to demonstrate NATO’s ability to conduct air power in a complicated scenario over large distances,” said Chief Communication officer with the Norwegian Air Force, Lt Col Stine Barclay Gaasland to the Barents Observer.
She said about 45 aircraft took part in the training, including fighter jets, tankers, a surveillance plane (AWACS) and transport planes.
In addition to the fighter jets from Sweden, Finland and Norway, participating NATO countries in the drill on June 2 included Belgium, France, Germany and Great Britain. The training happened along the west coast of Norway, from Møre in the south to Nordland above the Arctic Circle in the north.
This is the first time we are conducting such an advanced exercise with NATO and partner nations, which also includes Sweden and Finland,” said Chief of the Air Force, Major General Rolf Folland in a prepared statement.
The joint Nordic air force capacities in northernmost Europe will become very powerful. Last week, Finland decided to base the first new F-35 fighter jets at Rovaniemi Air Base located on the Arctic Circle and less than 400 kilometers from Russia’s submarine bases on the Kola Peninsula. Sweden has an air base in Luleå and the three Nordic countries have said the advantage of NATO membership is strengthening shared military capacities. Läs artikel