deployed F-35A Lightning IIs operationally for the fi rst time in October to undertake the NATO air policing mission safeguarding Iceland’s airspace, and Combat Aircraft was granted exclusive access to the detachment at Kefl avík.

REPORT AND PHOTOS Giovanni Colla Combat Aircraft December 2019

ITH ITS REMOTE 2019 — we have supported this NATO geographical location mission in Iceland.’ The AM has previously and total lack of deployed Euro ghter F-2000As for organic air defense the mission. capabilities, Iceland Working alongside the Icelandic relies completely on Coast Guard, the TFA came under the Wits NATO allies for air policing. A periodic leadership of the Comando Operativo di presence of NATO ghter aircraft at Vertice Interforze (Italian Joint Command Ke avík air base is viewed as being Operations) and was supported by around su cient to maintain the integrity of its 130 personnel. airspace. In contrast with the Baltic Air Col Sprea co added: ‘The planning for Policing (BAP) mission, which involves this mission began in the rst months continuous coverage, the Icelandic of the year and we received o cial government has consistently only con rmation for it in mid-July.’ A team requested an average of three annual from Amendola began to work on deployments, with each lasting for three speci c requirements including scramble to four weeks. operations that focused on the Icelandic In late September, the scenario. An advance party then  ew to (Aeronautica Militare, AM) spearheaded Iceland on September 23 to set up a force the third Icelandic ghter detachment protection team, a headquarters and the of 2019 under its Task Force Air (TFA) necessary communications equipment. 32nd , dubbed Operation ‘Northern The six jets were then deployed as four Lightning’. As the name alludes, this saw aircraft on September 25 and a further six F-35As from the 13° Gruppo of the 32° pair the following day —  ying direct from Stormo at Amendola heading north to Italy. The entire move was supported by patrol Iceland’s airspace. four KC-767A and eight C-130J missions, ‘It marks the rst time modern fth- while a P-72A from the 41° Stormo Two 32° Stormo generation ghter aircraft have deployed provided search and rescue cover. F-35As fl y over for a mission under NATO command and typical Icelandic control,’ said Col Stefano Sprea co, the Bedding down terrain during ‘Northern Task Force Air commander. ‘For Italy it is The detachment declared full operational Lightning’ in the fth time — and the second time in capability (FOC) on October 2, two days October.

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66-69 F-35 in Iceland C.indd 68 24/10/2019 11:02 ahead of schedule. During a ceremony air-to-air missions — the only limitation held at Keflavík on October 5, Lt Col is that we don’t have support from other Wilhem May from NATO’s overseeing assets. Since this is the first deployment Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) of the F-35, we are focusing a lot on the in Uedem, Germany, handed over the integration of the aircraft within the NATO mission readiness certificate to the defense system, in particular by exploiting detachment commander. It was an all the digital features of the aircraft [for important signal of Italy’s ability to swiftly information sharing] through the datalink.’ deploy a mid-size detachment of F-35s to The detachment also continued the a relatively austere location. tradition of working with the Icelandic The meat of the mission involved a pair Coast Guard (ICG), which maintains the of Lightning IIs, each armed with a pair of ground-based air defense picture of the live AIM-120C-5 Advanced Medium-Range local airspace and also provides search Clockwise from Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), holding and rescue cover. Maj Giuseppe added: top left: 24-hour quick reaction alert (QRA) from ‘During the deployment we have a The F-35s were October 2-24. program to train slow-mover intercept housed in the existing hardened Explaining the reasoning behind missions thanks to the support of ICG aircraft shelters allocating F-35s to this relatively helicopters.’ at Keflavík during benign mission, Task Group Lightning This first deployment was observed as the deployment. commander Maj Giuseppe (full name being a tough test for the F-35s, but the The pilots withheld for security considerations) increased capacity to collect and share ‘stepped’ to the commented: ‘The added value of the F-35 information in real time was viewed as a jets fully kitted out and prepared for is its ability to take information — even major benefit. The climatic conditions also the cold Icelandic from a distance of the unidentified aircraft served as a useful test for the ability to climate. — and pass it in real time to the command adapt to any temperatures. Maj Giuseppe Mission planning and control chain. Therefore the aircraft concluded: ‘The aircraft can move from the in the operations allows me — even before making the extreme heat of Arizona to the cold of this block at Keflavík. VID [visual identification] — to have the part of the world. The F-35 is ready to go in A fabulous shot of necessary information, after which we all weather conditions.’ a pair of F-35As can complete the intercept to check all on a mission the other data that is requested from us The authors would like to thank from Keflavík in the Aeronautica Militare and Stato in flight.’ October. Maggiore Difesa Public Affairs Speaking of the other general training Office, Col Stefano Spreafico, Maj Right: Col missions that were being flown over the Giuseppe, Maj Andrea Colotti, Manfred Spreafico, the island, Maj Giuseppe added: ‘The large Reudenbach and Michael Wawrzyniak Task Force Air and the Icelandic Coast Guard. commander. areas allow us to do good training for pure

The added value of the F-35 is its ability to take information — even from a distance of the unidentified aircraft — and pass it in real time to the command and control chain

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