Every October, a few dozen NATO fighter jets fly a rehearsal for a mission their crews hope they never fly for real: delivering an American nuclear bomb on behalf of the whole alliance. The exercise is called Steadfast Noon. This year it began on 13 October in Italy, with 17 nations taking part.
It is the visible part of NATO nuclear sharing, one of the stranger arrangements of the Cold War. The bombs are American, but the aircraft that would drop them, and the pilots trained to do it, are often German, Belgian, Dutch or Italian. Here is how it works.
Quick Facts
- What it is: US nuclear weapons forward-deployed in Europe, with allied aircraft able to deliver them
- Who controls the weapons: The United States keeps full custody and control
- Decision body: NATO Nuclear Planning Group (all allies except France)
- Aircraft: Dual-capable aircraft (DCA) provided by allies
- Weapon: B61 gravity bomb, now the B61-12
- Annual exercise: Steadfast Noon, no live weapons
- Steadfast Noon 2026: From 13 October, hosted by Italy, 17 nations
American Bombs, Allied Jets
According to NATO, its nuclear deterrent relies partly on US nuclear weapons forward-deployed in Europe, together with aircraft and infrastructure provided by the allies concerned. The United States keeps full custody and control of those weapons in peacetime. If the alliance ever decided to use them, they would be released to allied crews flying their own national aircraft, called dual-capable aircraft (DCA) because they can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.
That political control runs through the Nuclear Planning Group, founded in 1966. Every ally except France, which keeps its own independent force outside the arrangement, is a member. NATO does not officially confirm where the bombs are stored. Independent researchers such as the Federation of American Scientists have long reported that they are kept at Kleine-Brogel in Belgium, Büchel in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi in Italy, Volkel in the Netherlands and İncirlik in Turkey.
NATO TV footage of allied aircraft during exercise Steadfast Noon.
The Jets That Carry the Mission
For decades the European DCA fleet has been the F-16 in Belgium and the Netherlands and the Panavia Tornado in Germany and Italy. That is changing. In October 2023 the US certified the F-35A to carry the B61-12, the newest version of the bomb, making it the first fifth-generation nuclear-capable aircraft. Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are all moving their nuclear mission to the F-35A.
Germany's first F-35s are already in training in the United States, and the Tornados of Büchel, which German regional press reported were taking part in Steadfast Noon again this year, are in their final years. The Netherlands has already declared initial nuclear certification for its F-35As.
What Steadfast Noon Actually Trains
Steadfast Noon involves no live weapons. NATO describes it as routine training that tests the procedures behind the deterrent: loading drills with inert bombs, communications, command and control, and long-range flights that rehearse the mission profile. The aircraft involved include the DCA themselves plus the jets that would support them, such as escort fighters, tankers, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. A different ally hosts it each year.
NATO stresses that the timing is planned long in advance and is not linked to current events. In 2026, Secretary General Mark Rutte used the same message: "NATO is a defensive Alliance." The point of rehearsing in public is to make sure Russia knows the rehearsal happens.
Euronews report as Steadfast Noon wound down in the Netherlands in 2025.
NBC News' look inside NATO's nuclear exercise.
Sources: NATO (nuclear deterrence policy page and Steadfast Noon 2026 announcement); Breaking Defense; Federation of American Scientists; Rhein-Zeitung; U.S. Air Force
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