
One of four Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighters arrives in Iceland earlier in February, ahead of a three-week stint conducting air defence of the island on behalf of NATO. (Finnish Air Force)
Finland has taken on NATO's air defence of Iceland for the first time, having previously flown alliance training sorties from the North Atlantic island.
The Finnish Air Force (FinAF) said on 24 January that four of its Boeing F/A-18 Hornet combat aircraft had arrived at Keflavik Air Base to assume NATO air policing duties from the Czech Air Force and its Saab Gripens.
“Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighters will monitor and secure Icelandic airspace for the first time as a NATO member in February 2025,” the FinAF said. For three weeks, the FinAF Hornets will conduct armed air defence under the direction of the Keflavík Main Command Centre.
While this event marks the first air policing role for the FinAF in Iceland, it is not the first time that Finland has operated from the country. As a Partnership for Peace (PfP) country prior to joining NATO in April 2023, Finland (along with former fellow PfP and now fellow NATO neighbour Sweden) performed training and, what NATO refers to as, ‘air surveillance' and ‘air shielding' under its ‘Airborne Surveillance and Interception Capabilities to Meet Iceland's Peacetime Preparedness Needs' mission.
“[Since] 2012, Finland's participation in Icelandic air surveillance strengthened NATO's presence in the north, and is a concrete demonstration of Nordic co-operation and the Finnish Air Force's ability to carry out missions throughout NATO,” Brigadier General Timo Herranen, commander of the FinAF said.
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