Norwegian F-35 Lightning II jets intercepted a Russian intelligence-gathering aircraft over the Norwegian Sea amid Exercise Cold Response 26, NATO’s major Arctic drill underway in northern Norway.
Cold Response 26, Norway’s largest military exercise of 2026, involves over 25,000 personnel from more than a dozen nations, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and NATO. The Norwegian-led operation spans air, land, sea, cyber, and space domains in harsh Arctic conditions to bolster Allied defense, deterrence, and interoperability on NATO’s Northern Flank.
U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs from the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England, operate from Ørland Air Base, delivering combat airpower. HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters from the 56th Rescue Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy, and HC-130J Combat King IIs from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, stage at Bardufoss for combat search and rescue across Norway and Sweden. KC-135 Stratotankers from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, England, and a C-17 Globemaster III from March Air Reserve Base, California, support from Sola Air Base with refueling and airlift.
U.S. Marines draw prepositioned gear from climate-controlled caves in Tromsdalen, Bjugn, and Frøya, enabling rapid deployment for cold-weather operations. The exercise tests NATO’s collective defense, with U.S. forces emphasizing swift transatlantic reinforcement and joint Arctic warfighting.