North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the world’s only binational command, tested United States and Canadian fighter readiness in harsh Arctic conditions during Operation Noble Defender at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland in early 2026. The recurring exercise reinforces NORAD’s readiness to detect, deter, and if necessary, defeat emerging threats while building on long-standing military cooperation between the two nations and the Kingdom of Denmark.
NORAD personnel formed a binational Air Task Force (ATF) using aircraft from all three NORAD regions (Alaska, Canada and the continental United States) in support of Operation Noble Defender, which was held January 21-February 3, a NORAD news release said. This year’s iteration, led by the Canadian NORAD Region, tested 157 U.S. and Canadian personnel, and participating aircraft included the CF-18 Hornet, KC-135 Stratotanker, E-3 Sentry, F-16 Fighting Falcon, KC-46 Pegasus and CH-149 Cormorant. Maintenance, logistics, and command and control elements supported these military forces, ensuring sustained operations.
“Operation Noble Defender highlights the strength of NORAD’s integrated American and Canadian team and our ability to operate effectively in the Arctic,” said the ATF commander, Lt. Col. Ryan Setter, of the Royal Canadian Air Force. “By bringing together personnel, aircraft and capabilities from across all three NORAD regions, we continue to sharpen our readiness to defend North America. Our ability to operate from Greenland, in close coordination with our Danish partners, the Joint Arctic Command, and local Inussuk contractors, was a key part of achieving mission success — a real demonstration of cooperation between partners and allies.”
First designated a NORAD operation in 2018, Noble Defender occurs at planned intervals across North America. It validates NORAD’s ability to defend the approaches to North America, merge capabilities in multiple domains and safeguard future operations.
As in previous iterations of Noble Defender, a Danish CL-604 Challenger from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, provided search and rescue capabilities. For the first time at Noble Defender, the Royal Danish Air Force also provided F-35 fighter jets, deployed from Keflavík, Iceland, for air operations and surveillance around Iceland and over the southeastern part of Greenland. The Danish F-35s were supported by a French MRTT aerial refueling aircraft for longer operations, a Danish Armed Forces news release said.
NORAD’s binational command works closely with Danish authorities during operations in Greenland and maintains open lines of communication with local and national partners, the NORAD news release said.
Operating from Pituffik Space Base provides NORAD with added flexibility to deploy forces in the northern approaches to North America and offers essential experience in brutal Arctic conditions. During Noble Defender, temperatures typically reached minus 25 degrees Celsius, and wind chills were as low as minus 38 degrees Celsius. Despite these conditions, air crews and support personnel executed missions safely and effectively, emphasizing NORAD’s ability to thrive in diverse and demanding environments.