Italy Sends Typhoon to Iceland
The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana / AMI) has a large number of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets stationed at the Keflavik Air Force Base with one of its main tasks monitoring the movements of Russian military aircraft.
The fighters will carry out NATO air surveillance missions and training missions in Iceland.
The Italian Air Force Command said in a statement on Monday 18 March 2019 that its NATO mission would start in mid-March and run until mid-April.
As the Command notes, this is the fourth deployment for the Italian Air Force, with previous rotations in 2013, 2017 and 2018. On that occasion, Italy deployed up to six Typhoon tankers and Boeing KC-767.
In accordance with the rules of this special mission, the Italian Air Force will spend the first week of outreach flights to Iceland under the control of the Icelandic Coast Guard Reporting and Control Center in Keflavik.
The detachment is currently certified by the NATO Joint Air Operations Center in Weedem, Germany, to carry out air security missions in Icelandic airspace.
For this mission, Alliance members run a 3-4 week rotation. Each country typically provides four of its aircraft per deployment, but this number is flexible.
Previous missions have been flown by Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Portugal and the United States. This surveillance is carried out because Iceland does not have the ability to maintain its own airspace.
The planned UK deployment in 2008 was canceled following a diplomatic row with Iceland over the Nordic country's banking crisis, but in 2018 it was announced that the UK would be relocated later this year. done.
In addition to NATO members, both Finland and Sweden have deployed warplanes to Iceland for training purposes.Security in Icelandic airspace bordering the Barents Sea was carried out by NATO in response to threats from Russia.
Following the US Air Force's withdrawal from Keflavik Air Force Base in Iceland in September 2006, the country does not have an air force capable of conducting air patrols over its sovereign territory.
In the same year, Icelandic Prime Minister Gail Hade asked NATO member states to protect Icelandic airspace. Harde denied at the time that the request was aimed at deterring the Russian threat.



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