Page 86 - AirForces Monthly - Issue 381 (December 2019)

Icelandic air policing

1
IOC in the air-to-air role in March last year. and in a different scenario. This is extremely procedures required to intercept, identify and
Maj Simone (surname withheld on security useful to develop our experience and the escort unknown aircraft approaching Iceland’s
grounds), a pilot with Task Group Lightning, reason why the squadron has deployed all its airspace. Training sorties are co-ordinated and
told AFM: “There are no significant differences aircrews to Iceland for the three-week rotation. carried out with the local CRC [Control and
between what we are doing here and what “The main difference between flying here Reporting Centre, radio callsign ‘Loki’], where
we do in Italy. Generally speaking, at least two and at home is that, in Italy, we have far more we have also Italian air defence controllers,
F-35s are on QRA, while the rest of the aircraft simulated ground targets to use. In terms of and in co-ordination with the CAOC. Although
we brought here are available to carry out airspaces, we have been assigned several areas our ability in the air-to-air role was already
training sorties. In fact, in keeping with the type over and around Iceland that can be used for validated by NATO as part of the FOC
of readiness NATO requires us to ensure each training missions, and there are also specific certification process, we continue to practise
day, we try to replicate the type of missions areas used for surveillance purposes. The latter the mission so that we can fine-tune the
we always fly at Amendola. Air policing is are useful to perform simulated CAP [combat procedures involved in the air policing mission.
our priority, but we can pursue our training air patrol] and BARCAP [barrier combat “Flying in the Nordic region in this period is
requirements operating from a different base air patrol] profiles and for practising all the quite similar to flying in Italy during winter.

“There are no
significant

differences
between what

we are doing
here and what

we do in Italy.”
4 Maj Simone
3

84 // December 2019 #381 www.Key.Aero

80-85 Iceland AFM Dec2019.indd 84 11/11/2019 11:18:08