The aircraft are operating from locations ranging from highway strips in northern Finland to the Mediterranean approaches of Spain. NATO said Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial, or C-A2AD, is at the centre of this year’s training plan.
The C-A2AD focus sits alongside Integrated Air and Missile Defence, information, intelligence and data sharing, and Agile Combat Employment. NATO said the capability is becoming increasingly important in how the Alliance prepares for high-end conflict.
As part of air power, C-A2AD uses offensive tactics to deter an adversary and remove limits imposed by hostile defensive networks on friendly freedom of manoeuvre. In practical terms, this means finding, fixing and neutralising radars, surface-to-air missile batteries and electronic warfare systems that could keep Allied airpower out of contested airspace.
NATO said defeating such defensive networks allows follow-on forces to operate where and when they are needed. These forces can include strike aircraft, airlift platforms and reconnaissance aircraft.
At Pirkkala Air Base in Finland, the U.S. Air Force 493rd Fighter Squadron is testing its F-35A Lightning II fleet against advanced integrated air defence systems. The squadron, known as the “Grim Reapers”, is part of the 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Lakenheath.
The pilots are flying missions based on Suppression of Enemy Air Defences and Destruction of Enemy Air Defences. SEAD missions temporarily degrade or neutralise enemy radars and missile systems, while DEAD missions permanently remove those systems from the fight.
The pilots are working in close coordination with Allies and partners. Their tasks include striking radar and surface-to-air missile sites to meet objectives set by the Combined Force Air Component Commander.
The U.S. detachment is training with Finnish colleagues, the U.S. Marine Corps and other Allied units on NATO’s eastern flank. The training also includes the NATO RQ-4D Phoenix remotely piloted aircraft.
At Orland Air Base in Norway, Italian F-35A fighter aircraft from the 32nd Wing at Amendola and the 6th Wing at Ghedi are training in C-A2AD scenarios. NATO said the aim is to keep assets prepared to the highest standards in case of high-end conflict.
The Italian Air Force is focusing on offensive tactics to degrade and deter an adversary. Its aircraft are combining kinetic and non-kinetic effects to help ensure NATO freedom of manoeuvre in the Forward Area of Responsibility.
The Italian assets are training to neutralise layered ground-to-air and air-to-air defences. They are working alongside Italian, Norwegian, Belgian, Danish and Turkish fighter crews at Orland.
NATO said the exercise is also training and integrating Allied air forces in the planning and execution of different types of air domain operations. One of those mission areas is Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial.
NATO said C-A2AD is not being exercised in isolation. During Ramstein Flag 2026, it is being conducted together with Integrated Air and Missile Defence, Agile Combat Employment and data sharing to reflect how real operations would unfold.
Allied fifth-generation fighters, NATO E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, RQ-4D Phoenix platforms and ground-based command and control nodes such as DARS are part of the same networked fight. These assets detect and track threats, share information across the force and act through intercepts, SEAD strikes or rapid aircraft dispersal to alternate locations under the ACE concept.
NATO said lessons from this year’s C-A2AD training will feed directly into its real-world deterrence and defence posture under the enhanced Vigilance Activity Eastern Sentry. The Alliance said the training reinforces its ability to operate, manoeuvre and prevail across its entire area of responsibility.
