NATO deploys Phoenix to Norway for first time

NATO deployed an RQ-4D Phoenix UAV to Norway as part of wider alliance efforts to secure the High North. (RoNAF)

NATO has deployed a Northrop Grumman RQ-4D Phoenix high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to Norway for the first time.

NATO Allied Air Command announced the inaugural deployment into the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RoNAF) base at Ørland on 21 May 2026, describing it as “a significant milestone” for the NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force (NISRF).

“This marks the first time a NISRF RQ-4D Phoenix has operated from Norwegian territory, and only the third time the system has operated outside Italian Air Force Base Sigonella, Italy. Operating from Norway as part of Agile Combat Employment (ACE) demonstrates NISRF's ability to deliver ISR flexibly from dispersed locations in support of NATO operations,” NATO Allied Air Command said.

The Phoenix used in this Norwegian deployment was one of five RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40-derived UAVs that comprise NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) capability. This capability is designed to provide member countries with a persistent and near-realtime, all-weather, wide-area terrestrial, and maritime surveillance system in support of a range of missions, such as protecting ground troops and civilian populations, border control, maritime safety, and humanitarian assistance.

These UAVs are equipped with Northrop Grumman's Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) radar (designated AN/ZPY-2 in USAF service), which is an X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) sensor with a ground-moving target indicator (GMTI), a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), air track, concurrent moving target indication, cued search, and ground high-resolution radar modes.