On March 31, the Portuguese Air Force (FAP) concluded its participation in the NATO air policing mission in Iceland. The detachment of four F-03AM/BM Fighting Falcon fighters from 16 Squadron is returning to the country after eight weeks operating from Keflavik airport.
The aircraft and 155 FAP soldiers arrived in the country at the end of January to familiarize themselves with the icy environment and local airspace. Once this phase was concluded, the FAP took over the mission in early February.
During the deployment, FAP worked closely with the Icelandic Coast Guard and NATO's t Air Operations Center in Uedem, .
During their presence in Keflavik, the F-16 aircraft of the Portuguese Detachment, commanded by Major João Gonçalves, completed 260 hours of flight in the skies of the Upper North, integrating into NATO's collective defensive structures and establishing air surveillance and interception capabilities. about Iceland.
“The overwhelming of the host nation ensured a smooth and rewarding deployment,” underlined Major Gonçalves.
“The biggest challenge we faced during these two months was definitely the severe weather conditions. The Icelandic winter provided great training value for our ground crew and pilots; they had to operate in extreme conditions during those two months to keep an F-16 fleet operational”, he added.
A peacetime readiness mission in Iceland usually involves deploying allies to Keflavik for several weeks.
Once installed, they carry out NATO's mission in Icelandic airspace, to ensure that the Alliance can carry out full-scale peacetime air policing activities in the shortest possible timeframe, if required by real-world events.
This was the second time that Portugal participated in the mission since 2012, demonstrating cohesion among the of the entire Alliance, highlighted the NATO Allied Air Command.
Icelandic Air Policing has been in place since 2008, when the French Air Force first deployed to Keflavik with four Mirage 2000 fighters. In 2006, Iceland, which does not have an air force, requested NATO after a series of Russian incursions into its airspace, following the end of the permanent US fighter presence in the country.
Since then, the following countries have sent fighter jets to the country: Denmark, Norway, Canada, Portugal, , United States, Italy, Poland, United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic. The Italian Air Force was the first to fly the F-35 stealth fighter on the mission, in its 2019 deployment.
