U.S., French and U.K. Air Forces Launch NATO Drills in Finland
Military aircraft of NATO countries, June 2025. X/ @limitehonda
June 16, 2025 Hour: 7:56 am
The ‘Atlantic Trident’ drills involve more than 40 fighter jets and approximately 1,000 personnel.
On Monday, the air forces of the United States, France and the United Kingdom began the biennial “Atlantic Trident” combat exercise in Finland, a two-week aerial warfare drill taking place near the Russian border.
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The maneuvers involve more than 40 fighter jets and approximately 1,000 personnel, deployed across Finland’s main air bases. Aircraft will operate over the airspace of cities including Rovaniemi, Kuusamo, Kuopio, Jyväskylä, Tampere, and Oulu.
The drills aim to enhance joint aerial combat tactics, cross-support capabilities and interoperability between fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets. This marks Finland’s first major NATO air exercise since joining the alliance in April 2023. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (833-mile) border with Russia.
Participating aircraft include F/A-18s, F-35As, F-15Es, Rafales, Eurofighter Typhoons, as well as transport, surveillance and refueling planes, NH90 helicopters and a NATO RQ-4 remotely piloted reconnaissance aircraft.
“Finland is now part of NATO’s basing network, so we must be ready to receive allied reinforcements. We are at the forefront of mobile warfare within NATO, but close cooperation with allies is still new for us,” said Col. Vesa Mäntylä, chief of operations for the Finnish Air Force.
Finland and Sweden’s recent NATO accession—after decades of military neutrality—has doubled the alliance’s land border with Russia, further escalating tensions with Moscow, which views the expansion as a security threat.
Since joining, both Nordic nations have significantly increased their participation in military exercises, both within NATO and alongside Scandinavian and Baltic partners.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE