The United States Air Force conducted training at the northernmost American military base. It is called ‘Thule’ and is located on the island of Greenland.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) conducted the exercise from January 15 to January 31, 2023. For the first time in history, the US Air Force sent fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters to Greenland.
NORAD conducted Operation #NobleDefender across multiple locations in the Arctic, and the coasts of Canada and the United States, between Jan. 15-31, 2023. For more details: https://t.co/AIG2bkh7gj #WeHaveTheWatch #arcticsecurity pic.twitter.com/iasdUPxYPt
— North American Aerospace Defense Command (@NORADCommand) January 31, 2023
The air base is located 750 miles (1,207 km) north of the Arctic Circle. The US military has sent at least four F-35A Lightning II aircraft to Greenland. Judging by the emblem, they belong to the 356th fighter squadron ‘Green Demons’, which is stationed at the base ‘Eielson’ (Eielson) in Alaska.
Another serial of Op #NOBLEDEFENDER has just ended! The main 🇨🇦 contingent was deployed in Iqaluit while our 🇺🇸 allies were operating from Thule as part of this joint @NORADCommand operation. pic.twitter.com/P3zSeUeuef
— RCAF Operations (@RCAFOperations) January 31, 2023
The Royal Canadian Air Force took part in the Noble Defender 23-2.1 exercise. In particular, the CF-18 Hornet fighter of the 3rd Air Wing was seen in the photo. Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker transporters, Airbus CC-150 Polaris air tanker, B-52 Stratofortress nuclear bomber and Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft also took part in the exercises.
