For the first time since joining NATO, the Finnish Air Force protects the skies over Iceland. Four F/A-18 Hornet combat jets have been dispatched to Keflavik Air Base on Iceland and are flying daily air combat patrol over and near the island during the whole of February 2025.
The Finnish Air Force (Ilmavoimat) has been flying over Iceland before, but never with live air-to-air missiles to shoot and kill in case of aggression from abroad. However, normally it does not get that in the skies above the Arctic island nation, and the rotating NATO deployments that protect Iceland fly training or simulated combat flights only.
About Keflavik Air Base
The detachment of Hornets is being supported by 50 airmen of the Finnish Air Force. Iceland itself manages the airbase operations, and its Coast Guard monitors the skies by radar. Keflavik Air Base is located about 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik. From the end of World War 2 until summer 2006, the United States Air Force had a permanent fighter presence on Keflavik, but ever since it rotates between all NATO member states.
Third live NATO mission for Finnish Hornets
The Air Policing operations over Iceland are the third time Finnish Hornet’s are on a live mission since joining NATO in April 2023. In July of that year, the Finns took part in combat air patrols to protect the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. In Summer 2024, Hornets were deployed to Romania, for NATO’s Air Policing and Air Shielding missions during a total of two months.
“Permanently on Iceland if needed”
The Ilmavoimat has about 54 single-seat F/A-18C and 7 twin-seat F/A-18D in service, and 64 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II jets on order as replacement. To Finnish broadcasting company Yle, the Finnish detachment commander on Iceland, Saku Joukas, said that Finland has a contingency plan to deploy armed combat jets to Iceland whenever needed, including having a permanent presence on Iceland if requested. | © 2025 Marcel Burger, nordicreporter.com. Featured photo: A Finnish F-18C landing (Archive photo by Rob Schleiffert (CC))