The Finnish Air Force to participate in exercise Cold Response 26
The Norway-led exercise will take place in March 2026.
Air Force in exercise Cold Response 26
Cold Response 26 is a Norway-led exercise the goal of which is to improve combat capability and integration of the Allies.
It will take place in Norway, Finland and Sweden on 9 - 20 March 2026.
The flight activities of the exercise will take place in Northern Norway, also in Finnish and Swedish airspace. In Finland, air operations will be carried out in the area between Rovaniemi, Sodankylä, Utsjoki and Kilpisjärvi on 9 - 20 March.
Lapland Air Wing and Karelia Air Wing will participate in the exercise with F/A-18 Hornet fighters. The Finnish fighters will operate in Finland and Norway during the exercise.
Participants of Cold Response 26 will include approximately 25,000 soldiers from 14 countries. The exercise is part of NATO’s training activities. The number of soldiers participating in the exercise in Finland will be 7,500, a substantial part of which are foreign troops, coming from Sweden, the United States, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
“By operating together, we can improve both our own capability and that of the Alliance. We have shared plans, and this exercise is concrete evidence of our strong capability and willingness to defend our region together”, says Deputy Chief of Staff Air Force Command Finland Colonel Vesa Mäntylä.
The objective of the exercise is to maintain and improve military capability and interoperability between the Allied countries in high intensity military operations in Arctic conditions. Key objectives of the Air Force include improving the planning and implementation of multinational air operations as part of a joint NATO operation in the Nordic region.
The exercise will also be a training opportunity for Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC). NATO’s third CAOC was established in Bodø, Norway, last Autumn. It enhances NATO’s capability to lead and coordinate air operations in the Nordic countries and Arctic region.
You can access the Defence Forces' exercise press release via this link
You can acces the Norwegian exercise page via this link
The total numbers of participating countries and personnel have been corrected in the press release on 20 February 2026 at 13:00.
