The British Royal Air Force (RAF) has taken part in a demonstration on a remote Arctic island alongside US and Norwegian allies as part of Operation Atlantic City.
On September 6, 2026, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) said RAF personnel from LXX Squadron deployed alongside detachments from UK Commando Force on Jan Mayen in a demonstration of NATO’s “enhanced capability to operate jointly in the High North”.
The trilateral operation formed part of Arctic Sentry, NATO’s enhanced vigilance activity for the High North, and ran from August 26 to September 4, 2026.
The operation has seen UK forces work alongside the Royal Norwegian Navy, the Norwegian Home Guard, and US Marine Corps units, integrating various sensor and communications systems.
US Air Force Special Operations Command MC-130 and a US Air Forces Europe C-130 were also involved in the operation.
Jan Mayen sits in an isolated stretch of the Norwegian Sea, roughly 620 miles from mainland Norway.
The island occupies a critical geostrategic position north of the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap, an area of water vital to the defense of northern Europe and the wider Euro-Atlantic area.
“This operation demonstrates the strength of our partnership with Norway and the United States, and the ability of our Armed Forces to operate together in even the most demanding Arctic conditions,” Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said. “It is a clear signal of our enduring commitment to NATO security and to defending our shared interests in the High North.”
Operation Atlantic City ran concurrently with naval maneuvers during Operation Northern Viking 26.
The MOD said this allowed the trilateral force to “maximize overlapping maritime and sensing resources across the European theatre, while also supporting NATO’s broader Arctic Sentry activities”.
“The exercise has built on similar Allied training conducted around Jan Mayen last year and draws on the island’s history,” the MOD added.