Keeping a watchful eye on the High North from Iceland – that’s what Norwegian F-35 fighter jets have been doing for NATO the past three weeks as part of an air policing mission.

Norwegian Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft have just wrapped up a NATO deployment aimed at securing Iceland’s airspace.


Four F-35s were on standby ready to be scrambled if an unidentified aircraft came close to Icelandic airspace. The Air Policing mission for Iceland is provided periodically by NATO member countries for three to four weeks at a time, as Iceland does not have armed forces of its own. NATO Air Policing, which takes place over the entire Alliance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, is a peacetime mission that aims to preserve the security of Alliance airspace.


The Norwegian deployment ran from 19 January until 9 February 2023. This is the second time Norway has sent fifth-generation fighter jets to cover Icelandic airspace.


Footage includes shots of F-35 aircraft in a hangar, on the runway and taking off. It also includes soundbites with Lieutenant Colonel Trond Haugen, Squadron Commander, 332 Squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, and Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland.