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North Sea Air Policing: NATO Joint Drill
NATO staged a multi-nation air policing operation over the North Sea on November 10, 2025, underscoring allied readiness.
On November 10, 2025, NATO air forces from the United Kingdom, Germany and Norway kicked off a joint air policing exercise over the North Sea. The operation involved Royal Air Force (RAF, GBR) Eurofighter Typhoons, German Air Force (Luftwaffe, DEU) Eurofighters and Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF, NOR) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II jets.
Sorties were coordinated from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland and Ørland Air Base in Norway as the week-long drill tested rapid deployment, communications and intercept procedures. Officials described the exercise as a show of collective defence and a practical rehearsal of airspace security protocols amid heightened regional tensions.
North Sea air policing: what this drill tested
Beyond formation flying, pilots practised coordinated quick-response scrambles, air-to-air refuelling profiles and integrated tactical communications between NATO partners. Interoperability — the ability for different nations’ systems and crews to operate together seamlessly — was the stated priority.
- Participants included RAF Typhoons, German Eurofighter Typhoons and Norwegian F-35As — core assets for North Sea air policing.
- Ground and airborne controllers worked from mixed command nodes at RAF Lossiemouth and Ørland Air Base to validate procedures.
- The exercise ran through the week with planned, repeatable sorties to refine timing and handover techniques between nations.
Commanders noted the value of real-time data-sharing and cross-deck procedures for future NATO operations. Training in the North Sea corridor helps ensure allied aircraft can patrol and protect civilian and military airspace, and that rapid intercepts can be executed if needed.
While routine in peacetime, these collective drills serve both operational and political purposes: they reassure member states and deter potential aggression by demonstrating readiness to defend allied airspace together.
