Languages

100 fighter jets take to the skies over Barents Region

Nearly a hundred fighter jets participates as the joint exercise Arctic Challenge 2015 starts Monday in the skies over northern Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Location

“This is the second time the multinational training exercise is carried out, the first being in 2013. The plan forward is to continue every other year. Even though Norway, Sweden and Finland are the host nations, all of the participating countries contribute to the planning, which helps build our national and allied capability to lead air operations,” says Brigadier General Jan Ove Rygg, head of RNoAF’s National Air Operations Center (NAOC), and ACE 2015 exercise director.

Norway is lead partner in the exercise that is coordinated from Bodø air base just north of the Arctic Circle.

The Swedish air base in Luleå and the Finnish air base in Rovaniemi are also prime airports in the exercise.

In addition to Norway, Sweden and Finland, aircrafts and personnel come from Great Britian, France, Germany, USA, the Netherlands and Switzerland, the Swedish Armed Forces reports on its portal.

In addition to the F-16 Norway and the Netherlands are operatin, the air space over the Norwegian, Finnish and Swedish part of the Barents Region will be filled with F-18, Hawk T1, Tornado GR4, Mirage 2000, Eurofighter Typhoon, and Jas 39 Gripen, among others.

Furthermore, a number of NATO AWACS jets, transportation jets and tankers, and DA-20 Jet Falcons will all have supporting roles, the Norwegian Armed Forces reports on its portal.

The exercise continues until June 5th.