The Arctic Debrief: Russian aircraft monitors NATO Arctic exercise, as US B-52s drop bombs in exercise near Russo-Finnish border

In this edition:

• Russian aircraft monitors NATO Arctic exercise, as US B-52s drop bombs in exercise near Russo-Finnish border
• Canada commits major funding to independent naval projects
• Boeing completes Alaska missile silo expansion

Latest Developments

Russian aircraft monitors NATO Arctic exercise, as US B-52s drop bombs in exercise near Russo-Finnish border

Two Russian Tu-142 maritime patrol planes were spotted flying off the Norwegian coast as NATO allies conduct an Arctic military exercise called Joint Viking 2025.

The two Tu-142s were intercepted and shadowed by Norwegian F-35 fighter jets, while the patrol planes flew over the international airspace near the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea. The Russian planes flew very close to the location of NATO's naval exercises, which were a part of Joint Viking 2025.

The NATO exercise, which involves 10,000 troops from nine nations, is taking place on land, in the air, and at sea as the allies conduct a drill simulating a Russian invasion of northern Norway. The participating countries include Norway, Finland, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The focus of the training is to practice rapid force generation and trans-Atlantic deployment of a regimental-sized force in response to a conflict.

The Russian planes took off from the Northern Fleet's Kipelovo airbase in the Vologda region. The planes stayed close to the Russian border but within effective range of electronic surveillance equipment.

Since Finland's ascension to NATO, American and British planes have been able to conduct flights along the Finnish border with Russia, allowing better monitoring of Russia's heavily militarized Kola Peninsula, which is home to the Northern Fleet. Norway banned allied flights from taking place near its northern border with Russia.

A few days after this incident, two US B-52s were a part of a training exercise where the two bombers, escorted by Finnish F-18/A Hornets, dropped bombs at a practice range 100 km from the Russian border. This is the first time these planes have participated in a live-fire exercise so close to Russia.Canada commits major funding to independent naval projects

The Government of Canada has committed about $10 billion to construct two polar icebreakers and three river-class destroyers, which are expected to enter service by the early 2030s.

The Canadian government announced two separate contracts, one for Seaspan and one for Chantier Davie, to construct Polar Class 2 icebreakers that will be amongst the most powerful non-nuclear icebreakers. The planned vessels will be slightly bigger and more powerful than their American counterparts currently under construction in the US.

The Polar Class 2 classification means both ships will be able to operate in the high Arctic year-round.

The Seaspan icebreaker will be 158 meters and will have a flight deck for Arctic-capable helicopters. The vessel will be able to operate for months without needing to return to port.

Chantier Davie's icebreaker is set to be 139 meters. The shipbuilder will work alongside Finnish experts, under the recently signed Icebreaker Collaboration Effort pact, to help design and build the vessels, which will cost $2.25 billion and $2.18 billion, respectively.

Canadian Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos also announced a contract with Irving Shipbuilding to construct three River-Class Destroyers, a military vessel based on the Type 26 Frigate. The project will have an initial cost of $5.5 billion and an estimated lifetime cost of $15.3 billion.

The recent trade war with the US and threats from President Donald Trump about annexing Canada have driven Canadians' public opinion to heavily favour (70% of the population according to recent polls) increased spending on national defence.

Additionally, National Defence Minister Bill Blair delivered a speech at an event organized by the Canadian defence industry where he indicated that Canada needs to create a self-reliant defence procurement environment and reduce its reliance on the American industry.

Boeing completes Alaska missile silo expansion

Boeing has finished the construction on an additional 20 new missile silos for the homeland missile defence system at Fort Greely, Alaska, bringing the total to 60. The system is made to detect and intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles during the mid-course phase of the flight path.

The system was initially built in the early 2000s to protect the US mainland from potential ICBM launches coming from either Iran or North Korea. However, as China and Russia grow increasingly hostile towards the West, the system and geopolitical threats shift, and the system gains new purpose.

The expansion project was initiated by the first Trump administration and was continued during former US President Joe Biden's time in office. A new proposal has been submitted by Alaska senator Dan Sullivan to further expand the number of silos to 80 and to create a similar system on the US east coast.

The idea has been framed as part of Trump's vision for a "golden dome" similar to Israel's Iron Dome defence system. The president signed an executive order to create such a defence system on his first few days in office, but nothing has been announced since then.