RAMSTEIN, Germany – On 30 January, 2025, NATO Allied aircraft from eight NATO nations – Denmark, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States – executed a complex Find, Fix, Track, and Target (F2T2) exercise over Poland and the Baltic region.
Executing these multi-domain exercises ensures NATO assets are prepared to respond to any potential threat to the Alliance.
The exercise, coordinated by NATO’s Allied Air Command, tested the Alliance’s ability to integrate multi-domain operations in a contested environment.
Allied F-35 Lightning II aircraft participate in a Find, Fix, Track, and Target (F2T2) exercise over Poland and the Baltic region. The F2T2 was part of a pre-planned training mission, demonstrating NATO’s ability to synchronise operations across multiple domains, reinforcing deterrence and ensuring readiness. Photo courtesy of the NATO Multinational MRTT Unit.
Allied aircrew on NATO’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) coordinate actions during a Find, Fix, Track, and Target (F2T2). F2T2 exercises are designed to improve interoperability by integrating ISR assets with strike-capable aircraft in real-time targeting scenarios. Photo courtesy of Ben Gorski.
NATO’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) is refueled by an Allied tanker during a Find, Fix, Track, and Target (F2T2) exercise. F2T2 exercises are designed to improve interoperability by integrating ISR assets with strike-capable aircraft in real-time targeting scenarios. Photo courtesy of Ben Gorski.
“Executing these multi-domain exercises ensures NATO assets are prepared to respond to any potential threat to the Alliance,” General James Hecker, Commander of NATO Allied Air Command, said on a previous NATO-led F2T2 exercise. “Integration exercises offer opportunities to improve military readiness, tactical proficiency, and the agility of our forces.”
A diverse range of aircraft – including F-35 Lightning II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and Panavia Tornado, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets, and aerial refueling tankers, such as an Italian KC-767 and NATO’s Multi Role Tanker Transport Capability (MRTT-C) – participated in the drill. NATO’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) also provided airborne command and control, further enhancing situational awareness and operational effectiveness.
The F2T2 was part of a pre-planned training mission, demonstrating NATO’s ability to synchronise operations across multiple domains, reinforcing deterrence and ensuring readiness.
F2T2 exercises are designed to improve interoperability by integrating ISR assets with strike-capable aircraft in real-time targeting scenarios. Participants were tasked with locating and tracking potential targets and then coordinating a simulated strike within a specified timeframe. These exercises are vital in enhancing NATO’s Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial (C-A2AD) and Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) capabilities, two key operational priorities for NATO’s air forces.
This exercise builds on NATO’s commitment to maintaining a high level of operational readiness ahead of Ramstein Flag 2025, a large-scale NATO airpower exercise set to take place in the coming months. By continuously refining its multi-domain operational capabilities, NATO reaffirms its ability to deter threats and defend Allied territory.