British F-35B jets have started arriving in Iceland this week to take part in a NATO air policing mission.
This is the first time British F-35Bs will have taken part in any NATO air policing missions.
This mission will see RAF pilots from 617 squadron defending the alliance’s airspace in the Artic Region.
NATO air policing is a permanent peacetime mission, that preserves the security of Allied skies. It is a collective task and involves the continuous presence of fighter aircraft and crews, which are ready to react quickly to possible airspace violations.
Following a successful mission in Romania, where six Typhoon fighter jets and over two hundred personnel were stationed at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, defending NATO’s eastern border, the RAF will now move to Iceland. This time, four cutting edge F-35B jets from 617 squadron will be patrolling Icelandic airspace, having travelled from RAF Marham.
This is the first time British jets have taken part in such activity in Iceland since 2019, when four Typhoon jets and flew 59 training sorties and more than 180 practice intercepts.
The F-35B Lightning is held at high readiness to deploy in support of UK and NATO operations Worldwide – from both land and sea.
It is a multi-role combat aircraft equipped with advanced sensors, mission systems and low observable stealth technology. This means that enemy radar systems cannot easily detect the aircraft, giving those nations operating the F-35B a significant tactical advantage in many operational scenarios.
Lightning Force Commander, Group Captain John Butcher said:
This will be the first time that the Lightning Force has deployed to contribute to NATO Air Policing, and will no doubt once again prove the flexibility that this platform offers as it demonstrates its capability to operate from both a land and maritime environment.
RAF Typhoons and Voyagers also conduct air policing in the UK through the Quick Reaction Alert Force, based at RAF Coninsgby, Lossiemouth and Brize Norton, protecting UK airspace 24/7, 365 days a year.
