The RAF has carried out its largest ever deployment of P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, sending three jets from 120 Squadron to Keflavik Air Base in Iceland as part of NATO vigilance activity.
The RAF said the mission reinforced the UK’s commitment to monitoring the North Atlantic and supporting Alliance plans for the High North, a region NATO considers strategically critical.
The deployment allowed aircrew and engineers to rehearse Agile Combat Employment concepts, with the RAF making clear the need to move and operate high end capabilities rapidly across dispersed locations. According to the RAF, operating from Keflavik also demonstrated the UK’s ability to contribute to wider NATO surveillance and deterrence tasks in an area used to track submarine movements between the Arctic and the North Atlantic.
Wing Commander Higgins, Officer Commanding 120 Squadron, linked the mission to the unit’s historical role in protecting the same waters. He said “this deployment to Iceland highlights the enduring importance of the North Atlantic and Arctic to the security of the Alliance… Today, operating the P 8A Poseidon, we continue that legacy by contributing to NATO’s collective defence and ensuring the security of this strategically critical region. It’s an honour to work alongside our Icelandic partners and NATO allies in our constant endeavour to safeguard the maritime domain.”
While in Iceland, the detachment supported NATO’s Peacetime Vigilance Activity under Maritime Command and worked alongside US and Canadian forces. The RAF said the experience will help refine regional plans and strengthen cooperation in an area of increasing focus for the Alliance.
The P 8A Poseidon, equipped with advanced sensors and weapons, is central to the UK’s wider anti submarine mission and to NATO’s ability to monitor activity in the North Atlantic.