the largest military air exercise in Europe begins in the particular context of the war in Ukraine

Some 2,700 soldiers, 150 military planes, from 14 countries including France, are taking part in the Arctic Challenge. Europe’s largest air exercise begins on Monday 29 May. The Nordic countries which organize it, that is to say Norway, Sweden and Finland, remind it each time to appease neighboring Russia: it is not a NATO exercise.

However, this year, the threats against which the military must act are embodied by sukhoi and Migs, Russian machines. In fact, the Arctic Challenge is largely focused on cooperation between NATO allies, of which only Sweden is not yet a member.

The region has become an area of ​​tension

The quantity of aircraft is unprecedented, as is their diversity: French Rafale and Mirage planes train alongside German Eurofighters, Swedish Gripen, Norwegian F-16s and, new, American F-35s. Pilots fly over a very large territory, enough to test the limits of their aircraft and to consider complex refueling and air defense scenarios. The Nordic countries thus show that they are not alone in the face of Russia, which has greatly reinforced its military presence in the Arctic in recent years.

The region has become an area of ​​friction that is all the more sensitive as the Arctic Council, the main diplomatic tool that governs relations between the countries bordering the North Pole, is offside: discussions there have been on hold for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.