NATO's safe skies, Allies conduct drone training mission on Eastern Flank

In this episode, we track six connected developments that show NATO’s air enterprise building readiness at speed — from advanced tactical training in Spain, to new operational frameworks in the High North, to live deterrence activity and counter-drone integration on the eastern flank.

We begin at Albacete Air Base, where nine Allies complete the year’s first Tactical Leadership Programme flying course. The three-week syllabus brings together aircrews, intelligence officers, and ground-controlled interception specialists for complex, high-end scenarios supported by opposing forces, surface-based air defence, and enabling assets like AWACS, tankers, transports, helicopters, and French Navy contributions. The story highlights how live flying is paired with high-fidelity simulation — including advanced flight simulators and the Modern Air Combat Environment — to qualify new mission commanders and strengthen composite air operations across the Alliance.

Next, the focus shifts north as Allied Command Operations announces Arctic Sentry, a multi-domain activity designed to strengthen NATO’s posture in the Arctic and the High North through persistent presence and integrated operations. The initiative frames the region as a strategic gateway linking North America and Europe, where sea lines of communication, air approaches, and critical infrastructure demand continuous situational awareness. A central pillar is Iceland Air Policing under ASIC IPPN, with Sweden currently conducting the mission in Iceland for the first time since joining NATO, while German Eurofighters and Danish F-35s operate from Keflavík in support of enhanced vigilance. Under ACO’s strategic direction and led by Joint Force Command Norfolk, Arctic Sentry aims to integrate national and NATO activities into a coherent operational framework across domains.

From there, we move to NATO’s eastern flank, where Spain forward-deploys Eurofighter Typhoons to Romania in a practical demonstration of Agile Combat Employment. Operating from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base alongside German Air Force personnel already on site, the Spanish detachment strengthens NATO Air Policing in the Black Sea region and reinforces deterrence through a flexible, scalable posture. The deployment is nested within Allied Air Command’s enhanced Vigilance Activities framework, Eastern Sentry, and spotlights the benefits of two Eurofighter-operating Allies cross-servicing aircraft, sharing expertise, and expanding operational flexibility under dynamic conditions.

That emphasis on integration continues over the Baltics, where Allied Air Command conducts an Integrated Air and Missile Defence training mission on Feb. 18, 2026, delivered as a Flexible Deterrent Option. Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Italian Eurofighter Typhoons operate alongside Spanish NASAMS elements, supported by air-to-air refuelling through a KC-30 MRTT, air mobility support via a Spanish A400M, and NATO AWACS. Controlled by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, the mission ties together airborne and surface-based capabilities to sharpen procedures and accelerate decision-making in a demanding air and missile defence environment.

We then build on that thread with Steadfast Dart 26 itself — a rapid-reinforcement exercise launched Jan. 15, 2026 and recently concluded — which places Allied airpower at the centre of multi-domain mobilisation across Central Europe. Led by Joint Force Command Brunssum and marking the Allied Reaction Force’s second deployment, the exercise integrates land, air, maritime, cyber, space, and special operations forces, with activity focused on Germany. Türkiye assumes the Combined Force Air Component Commander role through its Joint Force Air Component, while NATO AWACS supports commanders with an operational picture for decision-making. Allied Air Command’s contributions culminate in counter-UAS training over the Baltics, reinforcing the Alliance’s ability to assemble quickly, integrate across domains, and operate as one.

We close with a dedicated counter-UAS activity on Feb. 20, 2026, again under Eastern Sentry and linked to Joint Force Command Brunssum’s Steadfast Dart 26. German and Italian Eurofighters and Spanish F-18s train against a Turkish Bayraktar TB3 unmanned aerial vehicle, with AWACS providing airborne command and control and cross-domain coordination. Designed to refine tactics, techniques, and procedures and improve multi-domain integration, the activity illustrates how NATO links fighters, enablers, and unmanned systems to keep airspace secure and maintain credible defensive options across the eastern flank.

Together, these six stories show NATO strengthening the fundamentals — mission command, readiness, and integrated air and missile defence — while expanding operational frameworks from the High North to the Black Sea and sharpening the Alliance’s ability to respond rapidly in contested, multi-domain environments.

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