Page 82 - AirForces Monthly - Issue 381 (December 2019)

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Icelandic air policing
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In a first among Joi nt Strike Fighter partner
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in October in support of NATO’s Icelandic
in October in support of NATO’s Icelandic
air policing mission. David Cenciotti visited
the Italian detachment at Keflavik Airport
and talked to the pilots involved in
Operation Northern Lightning.
Right: A pair of Italian Air Force
F-35As on patrol over Iceland’s
rugged landscape of volcanoes and
lakes. In total, six F-35As from the
13° Gruppo of the 32° Stormo at
Amendola headed north to patrol
Iceland’s airspace. All photos
David Cenciotti
S ix F-35A stealth (AIRCOM) operation. Three initiative, launched in 2008 following
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to the 13° Gruppo basis, allied nations contribute island, is to provide air surveillance and
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(13th Squadron) of the 32° t to NATO Interim Air Policing interception coverage over Iceland, to
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Stormo (32nd Wing) of the in I c e l and, a c oun t r y t h a t maintain the integrity of NATO airspace.
in Iceland, a country that
doesn’t have autonomous air
Aeronautica Militare (AM, do e s n ’ t h a v e a u t onomou s air According to the Italian Air Force, there were
ie
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Italian Air Force) based at defence assets and capabilities, , two reasons for committing the F-35, instead
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Amendola in southeast Italy, but which is strategically of the usual Eurofighter Typhoon, to the ASIC
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deployed to Keflavik Airport (KEF) located close to the Arctic. Each IPPN mission. First, the service identified
from October 2 to 24. Here, the jets ensured
fr om Oc t ob er 2 t o 2 4 . H er e , t he je t s en s ur e d deployment lasts three or four weeks. deployment under NATO command and control
f I
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andic airs
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t the integrity of Icelandic airspace under For the second time this year – and the fifth as a milestone towards full operational capability
gr
Operation Northern Lightning. This marked in total since 2013 – the AM secured the skies (FOC) for the new multi-role aircraft. In fact, in
the first time Italian Lightning IIs had been over Iceland, supporting NATO’s Airborne December 2016, the AM became the first service
deployed under NATO command, making Surveillance and Interception Capabilities to to take delivery of the stealth jet outside the US.
Italy the initial partner nation to send the fifth- meet Iceland’s Peacetime Preparedness Needs Initial operational capability (IOC) was declared
generation fighter on an Allied Air Command (ASIC IPPN) mission. The purpose of this on November 30, 2018, during a media day for
80 // December 2019 #381 www.Key.Aero
80-85 Iceland AFM Dec2019.indd 80 11/11/2019 11:16:17