Wildcats from 847 Naval Air Squadron are honing their mountain flying skills during Operation Clockwork in Norway, as aircraft from the Commando Helicopter Force deploy to the Arctic Circle for one of the Royal Navy’s most demanding annual exercises.
Merlin and Wildcat helicopters have arrived at Royal Norwegian Air Force base Bardufoss in Northern Norway, where aircrew and engineers will spend weeks operating in extreme cold, snow covered terrain and rapidly changing weather, conditions that test both people and machines to their limits.
Operation Clockwork is designed to ensure Britain’s amphibious aviation force can fight and survive in the high north, a region of growing strategic importance to NATO. Pilots, observers and ground crews will practise intensive flying sorties across Norway’s dramatic fjords and mountainous interior, while also mastering the specialist skills required to function far from established infrastructure.
Alongside flying training, personnel will undertake Arctic survival instruction, learning how to live and move in the wilderness, navigate across frozen landscapes, ski over deep snow, construct shelters from available materials and forage for food if cut off from support. These skills are considered essential for crews who may be required to operate in isolated areas during future operations.
Engineers will work in sub zero temperatures to keep aircraft serviceable, refining techniques for maintaining complex helicopters in harsh environments, while aircrew adapt their flying to icy runways, reduced visibility and fierce winds sweeping down from the mountains.
The demanding programme forms part of a wider build up to Exercise Cold Response in 2026, expected to be the largest military exercise ever held in Norway. That multinational event will bring together forces from across the alliance to demonstrate NATO’s cohesion and its ability to deter threats in the Arctic and High North.
British participation in Operation Clockwork underlines the UK’s long standing defence partnership with Norway and its commitment to collective security in Europe’s northern regions. As crews push themselves in some of the toughest flying conditions in the world, the Royal Navy says the training ensures the Commando Helicopter Force remains ready to deploy at short notice, wherever national and allied interests require.
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