Operating under NATO’s integrated Air Policing framework, the Spanish detachment will provide Airborne Surveillance and Interception Capabilities to meet Iceland’s Peacetime Preparedness Needs (ASIC IPPN). The deployment reinforces NATO’s collective defence posture and highlights Spain’s continued contribution to Allied deterrence.
“We are fully committed to NATO’s Air Policing mission,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ichaso.
“We are pleased to be in Iceland for the first time, and we stand ready to secure the skies and ensure a credible deterrence posture.”
The deployment includes six EF/A-18M Hornets, tactical support personnel, and associated logistics. The Spanish jets, supported by a French A330 MRTT tanker during their transit, will carry out quick reaction alert (QRA) duties, surveillance flights, identification missions and training sorties with Allied partners in the region.
This deployment to Iceland coincides with Spain’s ongoing presence in Lithuania, underscoring what NATO described as a “steadfast commitment” to the Alliance’s Air Policing efforts.
NATO has maintained routine air policing missions over Iceland since 2008, ensuring that Allied aircraft and crews are ready to respond to any airspace violations in the High North. The Spanish deployment adds further depth to this rotational presence, which remains a core pillar of NATO’s peacetime posture in the North Atlantic.