The joint U.S., British and Norwegian mission noticed the A400M transporting a JLTV, simulating a NMESIS system, and infantry within the Excessive North.
The Royal Air Drive (RAF) revealed on Oct. 9, 2025 a first-of-its-kind operation carried out in cooperation with the U.S. and Norway in late September. As a part of the operation, an RAF A400M Atlas transport plane landed for the primary time on Norway’s Jan Mayen island within the Norwegian Sea, airlifting there a U.S. Marine Corps JLTV (Joint Gentle Tactical Car), in addition to British, U.S. and Norwegian personnel.
Notably, the RAF disclosed the JLTV was meant to simulate the NMESIS (Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System). The NMESIS types part of the Corps’ island-hopping Expeditionary Superior Base of Operations (EABO) idea within the western Pacific, and was live-fired within the newest version of Train Balikatan with the Philippines earlier this 12 months.
The mission demonstrated the RAF’s “capability to ship crucial capabilities to austere areas, reinforcing NATO’s readiness within the Excessive North.” In line with the press launch, operations had been carried out from two areas on the island, supported by the Royal Marines and the Norwegian Armed Forces.
The trilateral effort between the U.Okay., U.S. and Norway had been a couple of months within the making, amid a hardening posture in opposition to Russia each eastwards in Europe and northwards in direction of the Polar areas. NATO says the Excessive North is strategically very important, describing it as a gateway between North America and Europe and a key enviornment for securing transatlantic provide routes.
✈️ RAF A400M Lands on Distant Arctic Island ❄️
In a historic mission, the RAF demonstrated its capability to ship crucial capabilities to austere areas, reinforcing @NATO’s readiness within the Excessive North.#A400M #HighNorth #WeAreNATO #AlwaysReady pic.twitter.com/FX1xzvNdpR
— Royal Air Drive (@RoyalAirForce) October 9, 2025
Jan Mayen
The volcanic island of Jan Mayen is 377 sq. km. in dimension, positioned about 1,000 km west from the Norwegian mainland coast, sitting nearly halfway between Norway and Greenland, north of Iceland. The Norwegian Ministry of Defence reported on Jun. 19, 2025 a “joint reconnaissance” of the island with the U.Okay. and the U.S. to “strengthen understanding of the demanding Arctic circumstances – and plan future coaching.”
The press launch underlined Jan Mayen’s geographical significance in “Norway’s protection floor” for “making certain allied freedom of maneuver within the Norwegian Sea,” and touched upon the renovation and infrastructure improve work of the prevailing Norwegian Cyber Defence Drive and Norwegian Meteorological Institute based mostly there. The station is recurrently supported by Royal Norwegian Air Drive (RNoAF) C-130 Hercules plane.
The RAF A400M’s touchdown at Jan Mayen additionally comes throughout the NATO Joint Expeditionary Drive (JEF) framework, which includes ten nations, together with the U.Okay., Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and the Netherlands. The JEF’s ongoing Train TARASSIS additionally noticed two RAF Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth “delivering air help in Norway’s Excessive North […] proving the flexibility to reply quick, wherever,” the U.Okay. stated on Oct. 10.
🇬🇧🇳🇴🇺🇸 The Royal Air Drive’s A400M army transport plane made its first touchdown on an unprepared airfield on the volcanic island of Jan Mayen within the Norwegian Sea.
This distinctive operation within the Excessive North concerned the Norwegian Armed Forces, the British Royal Marines, and… pic.twitter.com/RrA7AXNTmf
— Visioner (@visionergeo) September 26, 2025
The Forsvaret press launch quoted Lt. Col. Gard Ommedal of the Defence Workers, who led the June reconnaissance mission. “Jan Mayen is Norwegian territory and thus additionally a part of NATO’s space of accountability,” he stated. “It’s subsequently necessary that each Norwegians and allies are conversant in the geography, in addition to the particular and really demanding circumstances on Jan Mayen. So the truth that we are actually conducting reconnaissance collectively […] contributes to planning attainable future actions,” Ommedal added.
A400M and JLTV at Jan Mayen
The RAF A400M Atlas (British designation Atlas C.1), assigned to the 206 Squadron at RAF Brize Norton, transported the JLTV from “pre-positioned areas in Norway” to Jan Mayen to underscore its significance as a “key node for transatlantic provide routes and freedom of navigation within the Arctic.”
The video by the RAF confirmed the plane touchdown on the unpaved runway, in addition to the loading and unloading operations and the motion on the island. Different tactical automobiles will also be seen touring with the JLTV over the unpaved roads on hillocks, transferring to the areas the place they might simulate the NMESIS’ operations.
It needs to be famous that the Oshkosh JLTV used for the simulation manned, whereas NMESIS is an unmanned system based mostly on an unmanned variant of the JLTV, designated the Remotely Operated Floor Unit for Expeditionary (ROGUE). “The JLTV simulated the Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), with operations carried out from two areas on the island,” the RAF press launch stated.
US Marines with 2nd Battalion, eleventh Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, hearth a Naval Strike Missile from a Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System at Naval Air Station Level Mugu, California, June 28. They’re the primary US Marines to function and hearth the NMESIS. pic.twitter.com/j64Scdy98S
— Ryan Chan 陳家翹 (@ryankakiuchan) July 18, 2023
A Norwegian Armed Forces soldier can also be seen releasing a FLIR Programs’s Black Hornet nano drone, utilized by small squad-level infantry models. The go to to Jan Mayen, positioned north of the G-I-UK (Greenland-Iceland-UK) hole, additionally comes after the extraordinary alleged anti-submarine hunt for a Russian boat in lateAugust within the North Sea, mounted by U.S., U.Okay. and Norwegian forces.
‘Readiness to defend NATO in harsh environments’
“The RAF’s function on this mission highlights its functionality to undertaking air mobility into difficult environments, making certain the Alliance’s readiness to function in contested and excessive circumstances,” the RAF’s press launch added, highlighting the significance of the operation.
To function in “harsh Arctic circumstances, the place climate and terrain demand meticulous planning” and “cautious preparation,” the RAF deliberate “important tools, rations, and provides […] from the outset,” stated the service. “Critically, it underscores the significance of air energy in enabling multi-domain operations and sustaining readiness within the Excessive North.”
“By integrating seamlessly with Allied forces, the RAF [safeguards] freedom of navigation and [ensures] credible deterrence within the area,” added the assertion The Sep. 23 NATO press launch, which first introduced the operation with out point out of NMESIS, stated that “Common Allied exercise within the area demonstrates NATO’s dedication to safeguarding freedom of navigation, making certain entry to crucial sea strains of communication.”
“Working collectively with Allies demonstrates each functionality and dedication to defend Arctic islands, the Excessive North, and surrounding waters if required,” stated Vice Admiral Rune Andersen, Chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters within the NATO assertion.
Lengthy-running preparations at Jan Mayen
The Forsvaret’s Jun. 19 press launch put the prior Norwegian, British and American reconnaissance work at Jan Mayen in context of the “safety coverage image, particularly after Russia’s assault on Ukraine.”
The assertion additional stated that the prevailing station at Jan Mayen had been present process a “full renovation” to help future exercise on the “strategically necessary island.” A civilian contractor was finishing up the work, with the Armed Forces offering “transport assets, generally with assist from our allies.”
