NATO's Cold Response 2026 Exercise Brings Increased Tensions in the High North

Norwegian F-35 fighter jets were scrambled on March 10 and March 11, 2026, to identify Russian Il-20M aircraft flying in international airspace off Finnmark, as NATO’s Cold Response 2026 exercise gets underway in the High North. The Norwegian Armed Forces described the back-to-back scrambles as routine and said there was ’nothing unusual or dramatic’ about the flights. The incident occurred during Norway’s largest military exercise of the year, which brings together 32,500 participants from 14 nations. The exercise is designed to train allied forces for high-intensity operations in Arctic conditions, with a focus on deterrence, interoperability, and demonstrating NATO’s ability to defend its northern flank. The Norwegian Armed Forces say their fighter aircraft carry out around 40 such missions each year. This report was first published by AeroTime.