US Engineers Survey Narsarsuaq as Danish F-35s Land in Greenland
Source: iStock.com/Pawel Bednarski
US Navy engineers have surveyed and mapped the runway and other possible military base facilities at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland, while Danish F-35 fighter jets landed on the island for the first time to train with American and Canadian aircraft.
Both took place this week. The fighter jets flew as part of NATO’s Arctic Sentry, and the surveyors worked at an airfield where the Danish-led Arctic Shield exercise is under way, though the survey is not part of it.
Technical Surveys at Narsarsuaq
According to TASS, which cites the Danish broadcaster DR, a group of American soldiers spent this week surveying and mapping the runway as well as other possible military base facilities at Narsarsuaq, the settlement built up around the airfield of the same name. In DR’s footage, four American servicemen drive around the runway with what looks like advanced measuring equipment or surveying instruments.
US Northern Command confirmed to DR that the team of specialists is carrying out “technical surveys” of the runway and other facilities on site.
“The team is collecting general information about the airfield, such as dimensions, existing facilities and runway characteristics, for possible use by either the US, Denmark or other NATO allies,” a spokesperson for US Northern Command wrote to DR.
The command stresses that the mapping is taking place in close cooperation with Greenland’s government and the Kingdom of Denmark.
Naalakkersuisut and the Danish Ministry of Defence recently decided to conclude an agreement that temporarily keeps Narsarsuaq Airport open for a year, securing their ability to clarify the long-term needs of the Danish armed forces, allies, and NATO for using it.
F-35s Land at Kangerlussuaq
On Wednesday, two Danish F-35 fighter jets landed at Kangerlussuaq Airport in Greenland for the first time, training over the island alongside four American F-16s and two Canadian CF-18s. A French MRTT tanker refueled the Danish jets on the way from Iceland, a NATO AWACS handled surveillance and coordination of the airspace, and a Danish Challenger flew as search-and-rescue cover.
The Danish F-35s are currently deployed to Keflavik Air Base in Iceland, while the American and Canadian fighters operate out of Goose Bay in Canada. From there they fly many hundreds of kilometers to meet over Greenland.
“We are essentially training our ability to synchronize the efforts of many aircraft from different nations and bases spread across vast distances. There are many moving parts involved in ensuring such an operation is carried out safely and according to plan,” says the F-35 pilot with the call sign PLA, who flew in Wednesday’s mission.
Operations in the Arctic place particular demands on crews and planning alike, and much of the work on a mission like this one is done before the aircraft take off.
“The Arctic region makes some very special demands. The weather can be hard and changeable, and there is a long way between places where you can land. That is why we spend a lot of time planning the missions and handling the risks that come with operating up here,” says PLA.
Wednesday’s landing was the first by Danish F-35s in Greenland, but not the first time Danish fighter jets have operated from Kangerlussuaq: F-16s have been deployed to the airport before for training and operations in the Arctic, and the F-35s have previously patrolled Greenland’s east coast out of Keflavik.
The training over Greenland is being conducted as part of Arctic Sentry, which aims to strengthen the Alliance’s presence, surveillance capabilities, and operational capacity in the Arctic.
Source: Forsvaret (in Danish), TASS