U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules crews are training in Arctic conditions in Iceland as part of Northern Viking 26, a multinational exercise focused on NATO interoperability and High North readiness. The 37th Airlift Squadron from Ramstein Air Base has been operating with Icelandic and allied forces from Keflavík Air Base and austere landing sites, including a grass field and a beach, to test the aircraft’s ability to move in extreme northern conditions.
Northern Viking 26 runs from 22 August to 3 September and places tactical airlift crews in environments that go beyond standard runway operations. U.S. European Command highlighted a C-130J landing on an Icelandic grass field during the exercise, underscoring the emphasis on dispersed operations and improvised surfaces. The activity fits NATO’s wider effort to improve mobility, contingency airlift and coordination across the High North, where weather, terrain and distance shape military planning. The exercise also gives allied crews practical experience in operating together under Arctic conditions without relying on prepared airfields.