Page 83 - AirForces Monthly - Issue 381 (December 2019)

Northern Lightning

Tactical support to the domestic quick reaction alert lessons learned by previous deployments of
Leadership (QRA) as part of Italy’s airspace monitoring the Italian Typhoon fleet. Then, on September
Programme service, Typhoons recently returned from 23, an advance team landed at Keflavik to
(TLP) another NATO Interim Air Policing mission arrange for the arrival of the aircraft, which,
18-4. Along in Romania and are currently deployed to split into two sections, started landing in
with participation in the Iniohos Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, from where Iceland on September 24. The first four aircraft
2019 exercise at Andravida, Greece, in they support the multinational campaign left Amendola supported by a KC-767A tanker
March, the US-led Astral Knight 2019 exercise against so-called Islamic State in Iraq and belonging to the 8° Gruppo of the 14° Stormo
in Croatia, Italy and Slovenia in June, and Syria as part of the Prima Parthica operation. from Pratica di Mare and a P-72A maritime
Blue Flag 2019 in Ovda, Israel, deployment patrol aircraft of the 41° Stormo from Sigonella
on a NATO mission is one of the steps the Deploying to the High North that provided oceanic search-and-rescue (SAR)
AM considers crucial to declaring FOC. Operation Northern Lightning kicked off at support. The Lightning IIs refuelled twice from
Second, by sending the F-35, the AM could Amendola in July, when Italian F-35s started the KC-767A before touching down at KEF.
prevent further stress on the Eurofighter fleet, preparing for the Icelandic mission by launching The remaining F-35s arrived on September 25,
which is already engaged in various operations simulated and training scrambles. These also accompanied by a KC-767 and a P-72A,
both at home and abroad. As well as constant focused on the Iceland scenario and drew upon followed on September 26 by the rest of the

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