The news was reported by NATO's Allied Air Command Public Affair Office. For the first time, fifth-generation aircraft will be deployed in NATO's Air Policing mission to protect Icelandic airspace for three weeks in October. Italy will be the first of the allies to deploy six F-35s located at the Keflavik air base. Italy is the fifth time - and the second time in 2019 - to support this NATO mission which highlights Allied solidarity, readiness and cooperation.
After reaching initial operational capability in November 2018, the Italian Air Force is using its most modern aircraft for NATO's Air Policing mission. Fully integrated into the community of NATO allies employing or acquiring modern combat aircraft, the Italian Air Force has amply demonstrated its ability to exploit the versatility and multi-role performance of the F-35 platform.
The Allied Air Command, based in Ramstein, Germany, has a dual role in this deployment: it is responsible for the overall coordination of the air police mission in peacetime and oversees the modern integration of aircraft with existing aircraft fleets and NATO air command and control arrangements.
The Italian F-35 is normally based at the Amendola air base. The Italian Air Force component will operate under the command of the Combined Air Operations Center of Uedem, Germany and the Control and Communication Center of Keflavik, Iceland. After conducting familiarization flights and obtaining certification for the mission, the Italian aircraft group will protect Icelandic airspace until the end of October.
Since its inception in early 2008, the focus of the "Peacetime Preparedness Mission" has been to conduct air drills for the Alliance in order to meet the operational requirements and security needs of the airspace. Iceland. During their deployment, Allied fighter groups are integrated into NATO's Air Policing architecture.