The defense agency used 45 aircraft for high-intensity flight drills off the coast of Norway
The Royal Norwegian Air Force shared images of the aerial exercise. This photo shows an A400 refueling aircraft and two F18 aircraft
NATO reported that it carried out a large-scale multinational surveillance activity on Thursday, in which The integration of high-end air, ground and sea attack capabilities was trained in a wide exercise zone along the coast of Norway.
“The Royal Norwegian Air Force led, for the first time, an advanced cooperative exercise with NATO and partner nations Sweden and Finland”, explained the Atlantic alliance in a statement.
The multi-domain surveillance activity, with approximately 130 participants, led by Norway, focused on the integration of the command and control of joint forces in the northern area of responsibility of the Supreme Commander of the Alliance for Europe (SACEUR), US General Tod D. Wolters.
F18 aircraft< p class=”paragraph”>To exercise NATO’s ability to project credible combat air power at a distance, the activity saw the participation of 45 aircraft, including fighters, tankers, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) and C-130 Hercules from allied nations France, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom , as well as partner nations, Finland and Sweden. Many of the aircraft flew from their home bases, allowing for air refueling training for allied aircrews.
“Surveillance activities such as this strengthen NATO’s ability to concentrate multinational fires from all components and underscore the Alliance’s ability to secure the entire Euro-Atlantic area,” said Lieutenant General Pascal Delerce, deputy commander of NATO Allied Air. “High-intensity flight drills ensure that our people and operational Headquarters are well prepared to deploy remote air assets to maintain peace and stability,” he added.
The NATO statement notes that, during the surveillance activity, participants simulated live joint fires, practiced Tactical Command and Control (C2), and operated in a contested environment with Electronic Warfare (EW) threats. U.S. sea-based ships and land-based missile launchers were theoretically replicated to allow for advanced training scenarios.
On the left from bottom to top, F18, Gripen and F35 aircraft
“The exercise focuses on the synchronization of the air, sea and land domains to enhance the Alliance’s cohesion, interoperability and ability to cooperate with our partners. It harnesses the speed, range and flexibility of all our Air Forces,” said Maj. Gen. Rolf Folland, Air Chief of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. And he added that, during the activity, the participants were able to learn from each other and strengthen relations with other nations operating from northern Europe.
“We are grateful that Sweden was invited to yesterday’s multinational surveillance activity. The activity was a fantastic opportunity to train combined air operations and a clear confirmation that the Swedish Air Force is fully interoperable and ready to integrate into the NATO air domain. As a close NATO partner , in the process of becoming a full member, that knowledge is more than valuable to perceive”, declared Colonel Peter Greberg, Chief of Operations of the Swedish Air Force.