STEADFAST NOON 25 - NATO Allies Train for Nuclear Deterrence

A line up of German Air Force Tornado fighter jets taxi down the runway during NATO's STEADFAST NOON [©NATO: Michael Linennen]

Allied aircraft have taken to the skies across Europe on Exercise STEADFAST NOON 25 to demonstrate NATO’s nuclear deterrence capability.

Seventy aircraft from 14 Allied countries are taking part in NATO’s annual nuclear deterrence exercise, STEADFAST NOON. This long-planned, routine training event is part of NATO’s ongoing efforts to maintain readiness and promote transparency regarding its nuclear posture. The exercise is unrelated to current world events, and no live weapons are involved.

Around 2,000 personnel and multiple aircraft types, including both conventional and dual-capable aircraft, are taking part in the exercise to test NATO’s nuclear deterrence. Supporting assets include surveillance, air-to-air refuelling, and command and control aircraft. The 2025 exercise runs from 13 to 24 October.

A Dutch Air Traffic Controller oversees runway operations during NATO’s STEADFAST NOON
[©NATO: Michael Linennen]

This NATO Multimedia B-roll footage, filmed Tuesday 14 October, features Dutch and German aircraft taxiing, taking off and landing as part of NATO’s nuclear deterrence exercise, along with footage of maintenance crews servicing and preparing the jets. It also includes soundbites from Col. Daniel Bunch, Chief of NATO Nuclear Operations at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), and Jim Stokes, Director of Nuclear Policy at NATO Headquarters.