Spain begins its first deployment of F-18 fighter aircraft to Iceland as part of NATO’s Air Policing mission.

• The Stinga Detachment of the Spanish Air and Space Force will reinforce air surveillance over the North Atlantic.

For the first time in its history, the Spanish Air and Space Force (EA, in Spanish) will deploy a detachment of F-18 fighter aircraft to Iceland, under the name ‘Stinga’ (meaning ‘sting’ in Icelandic). This operation forms part of NATO’s Air Policing mission and aims to reinforce the Alliance’s collective security in the North Atlantic to face unidentified aerial activity within, or close to, Allied airspace. 

As an advance party, 44 air personnel from various units of the Spanish Air and Space Force have already arrived in Iceland to prepare for the arrival of the six F-18s that will make up this new detachment. The contingent is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Ichaso Franco, the Air Contingent Commander, currently stationed at Ala 15, based in Zaragoza. ‘It is a great honour to take part in any NATO mission,        - stated Lieutenant Colonel Ichaso- but without a doubt, being the first Spanish unit to operate in Iceland is particularly special. I would also like to highlight that, although the majority of the personnel belong to Ala15, this operation represents a joint effort by the Air and Space Force. Every member of the detachment plays a vital role in ensuring the mission’s success’. The detachment will be operational for approximately one month, starting at the end of July. 

In the coming days, the full contingent comprising up to 122 personnel - including pilots, mechanics, weapons specialists, logistic, security and other essential support services as needed to fulfill this mission - will deploy to Keflavík Air Base in southern Iceland. The arrival of the F-18s is scheduled for tomorrow, 22 July. After a short preparation period, they will be integrated into NATO’s chain of command on 28 July, officially launching the operation, which will continue until mid-August. 

As Lieutenant Colonel Ichaso highlights, reaching this stage has required months of careful preparation: ‘Although the concept of this mission is not significantly different from other Air Policing deployments we have carried out in places like the Baltic States or Romania, we have had to compensate for the lack of experience in this particular environment with extensive simulator training, especially focused on the types of missions we may be required to undertake here.’

DAT Stinga: Safeguarding Allied Airspace

The Airborne Surveillance and Interception Capabilities to meet Iceland’s Peacetime Preparedness Needs (ASIC IPPN) mission is a key component of Operation Persistent Effort as part of the measures agreed by NATO at its 2013 Summit, following the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia. At that time, the Alliance implemented these reinforced yet flexible measures to demonstrate the determination of NATO member states to collectively defend shared and Allied airspace against any threat whatsoever.          

In this context, the primary mission of DAT ‘Stinga’ is to monitor and intercet aircraft flying without a flying plan, without radio contact or with transponder switched off, in order to safeguard the integrity of Allied airspace. To achieve this, the Spanish detachment will maintain a 24/7 quick reaction alert (QRA).

Furthermore, during this deployment, programmed training flights within the area will be of great value in maintaining and enhancing the capabilities of both pilots and crews, as well as the operational effectiveness of F-18 fighter aircraft.

Iceland, a NATO member state with no air force of its own, hosts Allied detachments on a rotational basis to ensure the protection of its airspace. Like DAT ‘Stinga’, all NATO contingents operate from Keflavík Air Base, a strategically located facility in the North Atlantic, critical for controlling intercontinental air routes.

 With this new deployment, Spain evidences and reinforces its firm commitment to international collective defence operations,by extending its presence beyond NATO’s eastern flank  - where it has already operated in the Baltic States, Bulgaria and Romania -  Spain projects now its operational capabilities into a new advanced air surveillance scenario.