Between February and March, Sweden will start a NATO air defense mission in Iceland, thereby strengthening the monitoring of the airspace in the Arctic in a situation of increasing geopolitical tensions in the region.
The operation is part of the alliance Air Policingsystem and involves the deployment of JAS 39 Gripen fighters from the Swedish Air Force, with responsibility for emergency missions and response to incidents in allied airspace.
+ Denmark retires the F-16 after almost 46 years and completes the transition to the F-35
The deployed unit — equivalent to a fighter squadron with ground support teams from Skaraborg Air Wing (F 7) — is based at Keflavík Air Station, from where it operates under the coordination of NATO’s Combined Air Operations Center in Uedem, Germany.
The mission follows Sweden’s integration into the alliance’s new operational area, linked to Joint Force Command (JFC) Norfolk, which covers the North Atlantic, the Arctic and the transatlantic link between North America and Europe.
Swedish authorities emphasize that the Arctic has become a central strategic area of operation for Euro-Atlantic security. Seven of the eight Arctic countries are members of NATO, while Russia is outside the alliance and has increased its military presence and ambitions in the region. In this context, Sweden’s contribution aims to deter risk, ensure regional stability and strengthen collective defence.
The operation marks Skaraborg Wing’s first participation with a fighter unit in a formal NATO mission, and builds on the experience gained from recent operations under allied command. According to the Swedish Air Force is Gripen– the planes and their crews prepared for operations under demanding weather conditions, with documented experience from winter environments and high preparedness for various threat profiles.
The Air Policing mission, which has been in force since the 1960s, remains one of the pillars of NATO’s air security, particularly in sensitive areas such as the Arctic, where strategic competition and increased military activity increase the risk of incidents.
Source and images: The Armed Forces (Swedish Armed Forces). This content has been created with the help of KI and reviewed by the editors.
