F-16 operations in Greenland pose new challenges

By the Defence Command

As part of the Danish Armed Forces' increased presence in Greenland, two F-16 fighter jets are flying daily patrols this week from Kangerlussuaq on the west coast of Greenland.

The skies here are currently mostly clear and blue, and it is no colder than a Danish winter's day. Nevertheless, flying safely in the Arctic regions places completely different demands on the entire organisation surrounding the fighter jets.

"We have experience from training in cold weather in northern Norway. But Greenland is different. It can be significantly colder, the climate is more changeable, and the distances are very long up here," says Major Søren Ross, who is in charge of the F-16 contribution from Fighter Wing Skrydstrup during the Arctic Light exercise.

"This means, among other things, that alternative landing sites may be very far away if needed, and therefore it requires a lot of planning and preparation to collaborate with others when we fly in Greenland," says Søren Ross.

Precisely because of the distances to alternative landing sites that can handle fighter aircraft, the Danish F-16 fighters are accompanied on all flights during the exercise by a French tanker aircraft, a so-called Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), which can deliver fuel en route.

"We are used to refuelling in the air, but we have not worked much with the French tanker aircraft before, so it requires a little extra coordination and planning, but it also provides good experience," explains Søren Ross.

Photo: Anders Viggo Fridberg / Danish Defence Command

The fighter jets are also accompanied by a Challenger aircraft, which flies daily from Kangerlussuaq.

Among other things, the Challenger aircraft must be able to drop emergency equipment if the fighter pilots have to eject because they will not be able to survive for very long on the ice sheet, for example, with the survival equipment available in the F-16 aircraft.

Cooperation with other parts of the Air Force has been an important part of the preparations for the F-16 contribution.

"The Air Transport Wing and Air Group West have years of experience operating up here, and we have drawn on that in our planning and preparation," says Søren Ross.

During the Arctic Light exercise, the F-16 aircraft and their escort aircraft will patrol to the south, east and north. Among other things, the plan is for the Danish aircraft to land at the American Pitufik Space Base in northern Greenland.

The exercise involves soldiers from all three branches of the danish armed forces, special operations forces, the Home Guard and soldiers from France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway.

A total of over 550 soldiers are participating in the exercise.