Departamento de Aviación de la Guardia Costera de Islandia
Iceland has no armed forces, and the aircraft that come closest to a national air arm are four belonging to the Icelandic Coast Guard — a Dash 8 Q300 patrol aircraft and three Airbus H225 rescue helicopters flown from Reykjavík Airport — while the Coast Guard also runs the NATO radar and air-defence facilities at Keflavík that allied fighters use for Icelandic Air Policing.
The Icelandic Coast Guard’s aviation story: a Catalina called Rán, North Atlantic rescues and NATO at Keflavík
1926–1955: a coast guard, and a flying boat called Rán
Iceland has no armed forces; its Coast Guard, formally founded on 1 July 1926, is the nearest thing. Its aviation began modestly. English Wikipedia says the Coast Guard first used an aircraft in 1948, a Grumman Goose leased from the airline Loftleiðir, and acquired its own on 10 December 1955: a Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina flying boat from the Civil Aviation Administration, named Rán and registered TF-RAN. Over the following decades it also flew a Douglas C-54 and the Fokker F27; one F27, TF-SYN, is now preserved at the Icelandic Aviation Museum in Akureyri. Wikipedia does not describe any role for aircraft in the Cod Wars with Britain, which were fought by the Coast Guard’s ships, and none is claimed here.
Helicopters in the North Atlantic: losses and rescues
Helicopters became the core of the service, and they came at a cost. Wikipedia records a Sikorsky S-62, named Gná, bought in 1972 and wrecked without injury on Skálafell in 1975, and a Sikorsky S-76, again named Rán, acquired in 1980. In November 1983 Rán crashed in Jökulfirðir in the Westfjords on a training flight, killing its crew of four — the deadliest accident in the Coast Guard’s history. The Coast Guard kept going: an Aérospatiale SA 365N Dauphin II, Sif, arrived in 1985 and is credited by Wikipedia with the rescue of about 250 people, and an AS332L1 Super Puma, Líf, followed in 1995. Both are now at the Akureyri museum. Bell 47s, an MD 500C and an AS350 also served; their dates were not found.
2006: the Americans leave Keflavík
For most of the Cold War Iceland’s air defence was American. US forces returned to Keflavík under the defence agreement of 5 May 1951, and the base, by then Naval Air Station Keflavik, closed in 2006 and was handed to the Icelandic government. English Wikipedia says the US Air Force stopped deploying fighters there in September 2006. NATO’s answer, agreed in 2007, was Icelandic Air Policing: since May 2008 allied fighter squadrons have deployed to the security area at Keflavík, usually three times a year for several weeks. Iceland still has no fighters of its own. Instead the Coast Guard’s staff run the Iceland Air Defence System — four radar stations at Miðnesheiði, Gunnólfsvíkurfjall, Stokksnes and Bolafjall and a control and reporting centre at Keflavík, part of NATO’s integrated air defence — and look after NATO’s facilities there.
The fleet today: one Dash 8 and three H225s
The present fleet is four aircraft. TF-SIF, a Dash 8 Q300 (DHC-8-Q314) introduced in 2009 and fitted out like the Swedish Coast Guard’s, flies fisheries, ice and pollution patrols, search and rescue and medical flights, with a range of about 2,100 nautical miles. Three Airbus H225 helicopters carry the old names: TF-EIR arrived in March 2019, TF-GRO on lease on 6 July 2019 and TF-GNA, built in 2014, in April 2021; with two pilots, a hoist operator, a winchman and a doctor aboard they reach out to 613 nautical miles. The Coast Guard’s pages state the lease only for TF-GRO; how the other two are financed was not stated on the pages reached. The good side is a modern, well-equipped rescue fleet; the weakness is depth — one fixed-wing aircraft and three helicopters for an ocean area many times Iceland’s size.
2024–2026: centenary, drones and visiting fighters
The Coast Guard turned 100 in 2026, and in late September one of its helicopters landed beside the Harpa concert hall to open the centenary celebration, attended by President Halla Tómasdóttir and the Minister of Justice. That summer it tested something new: working with the European Maritime Safety Agency, a Tekever AR5 unmanned aircraft with a seven-metre wingspan flew about 300 hours from Höfn í Hornafirði, controlled by satellite, watching fishing vessels, shipping and aquaculture sites and searching for oil pollution. Allied fighters kept coming: English Wikipedia lists Norwegian, American and British F-35s and F-15Es in 2024, Finnish, Czech, Spanish and Belgian jets in 2025, and Swedish Gripens, British F-35Bs and Belgian F-16s in 2026. No new aircraft for the Coast Guard’s own fleet between 2024 and 2026 was found in the sources reached.
The Icelandic Coast Guard Aviation Department in numbers
Servicio
- Nombre oficial
- Landhelgisgæsla ÍslandsThe Icelandic Coast Guard; English Wikipedia calls its air arm the aeronautical division. A separate Icelandic name for the aviation department was not found on the Coast Guard pages reached, and English Wikipedia has no standalone article, so the planned page name is kept
- Fundado
- 10 December 1955 (first own aircraft)The Coast Guard was founded on 1 July 1926 and first used a leased Grumman Goose in 1948
- Naturaleza
- Coast guard, not armed forcesIceland has no armed forces; the Coast Guard runs the NATO air defence system and facilities in Iceland
- Parte de
- Icelandic Coast GuardUnder the Minister of Justice
- Director General
- Georg Kr. LárussonRear admiral per English Wikipedia; Bjarni Á. Sigurðsson is named there as chief of the aeronautical division
- personal de la Guardia Costera
- About 280English Wikipedia; the aviation department’s own strength was not published
Fortaleza
- Aviones de combate
- NingunoNATO allies police Icelandic airspace
- Aviones de patrulla
-
- Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 (DHC-8-Q314) — 1, TF-SIF
Introduced in 2009; surveillance, search and rescue and medical flights
- Helicópteros
-
- Airbus H225 — 3 (TF-EIR, TF-GRO, TF-GNA)
Arrived March 2019, July 2019 (leased) and April 2021
- aeronaves no tripuladas
- Tekever AR5 (EMSA, summer 2026)Operated by Tekever crews with the European Maritime Safety Agency, about 300 flight hours; not a Coast Guard-owned aircraft
Infraestructura
- Base de operaciones
- Reykjavík AirportThe aeronautical division is based there, per English Wikipedia; Coast Guard headquarters are at Skógarhlíð 14, Reykjavík
- Keflavík security area
- NATO air policing and control centreAllied fighters deploy here about three times a year; the Coast Guard runs the control and reporting centre
- Radar stations
-
- Miðnesheiði (H1)
- Gunnólfsvíkurfjall (H2)
- Stokksnes (H3)
- Bolafjall (H4)
Part of NATO’s integrated air defence system, run by Coast Guard staff
- Air policing since
- May 2008Average of three deployments a year, each three to four weeks
How the Icelandic Coast Guard Aviation Department is organised
Iceland has no armed forces; its state aviation of a military kind is the aeronautical division of the Icelandic Coast Guard, under the Minister of Justice. The division flies four aircraft from Reykjavík Airport — one Dash 8 Q300 patrol aircraft and three Airbus H225 rescue helicopters — and has no combat aircraft; allied fighters police Icelandic airspace from Keflavík. The Coast Guard also runs the Iceland Air Defence System’s radars and control centre for NATO.
Icelandic Coast Guard
Iceland has no armed forces. The Coast Guard, founded on 1 July 1926 and answering to the Minister of Justice, is led by Director General Georg Lárusson; English Wikipedia names Commander (senior grade) Bjarni Á. Sigurðsson as chief of its aeronautical division. Headquarters are at Skógarhlíð 14, Reykjavík.
Dash 8 Q300 patrol aircraft
One Bombardier Dash 8 Q300, TF-SIF, in service since 2009, for fisheries, ice and pollution surveillance, search and rescue and medical flights, with a range of about 2,100 nautical miles.
H225 rescue helicopters
Three Airbus H225s: TF-EIR (arrived March 2019), TF-GRO (leased, arrived 6 July 2019) and TF-GNA (built 2014, arrived April 2021), each with a crew of five including a doctor.
Iceland Air Defence System
Run by Coast Guard staff as part of NATO’s integrated air defence: four radar stations at Miðnesheiði, Gunnólfsvíkurfjall, Stokksnes and Bolafjall and a control and reporting centre in the Keflavík security area. It has no aircraft.
Policía aérea islandesa de la OTAN
Not an Icelandic unit: since May 2008 allied fighter squadrons have deployed to the Keflavík security area, usually three times a year for several weeks; in 2026 Swedish Gripens, British F-35Bs and Belgian F-16s, according to English Wikipedia.
What the Icelandic Coast Guard Aviation Department flies today
Cada tipo está sujeto a cargos, vinculado a su página en el Libro de las Bestias, cuando existe. Las cifras corresponden a aeronaves registradas, no a aeronaves disponibles en un día determinado.
| Tipo | Role | En servicio | Desde | Unidades | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 (DHC-8-Q314)En servicio | Maritime surveillance, search and rescue | 1 | 2009 | One aircraft, TF-SIF. | ||
| Helicópteros Airbus H225En servicio | Helicóptero de búsqueda y rescate | 3 | 2019 | TF-EIR (arrived March 2019), TF-GRO (arrived on lease 6 July 2019) and TF-GNA (built 2014, arrived April 2021). |
Every type the Icelandic Coast Guard Aviation Department has retired
11 types, from the Grumman Goose to the Sikorsky S-76. Las cifras máximas corresponden a las aeronaves puestas en servicio durante toda su vida útil, no al número total de efectivos de la flota en una fecha concreta.
| Tipo | Role | Cima | Servido | Reemplazado por | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sikorsky S-76 | Helicóptero de búsqueda y rescate | 1 | 1980–1983 | One, Rán. | ||
| Sikorsky S-62 | Helicóptero de búsqueda y rescate | 1 | 1972–1975 | One, Gná. | ||
| Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina | Hidroavión de patrulla marítima | 1 | 1955– | One, Rán (TF-RAN). | ||
| Grumman Goose | Patrol (leased) | 1 | 1948– | Leased from Loftleiðir. | ||
| Douglas C-54 Skymaster | Patrulla marítima | Number and dates not found. | ||||
| Fokker F27 Friendship | Patrulla marítima | Dash 8 Q300 | Number and dates not found. | |||
| Aérospatiale SA 365N Dauphin II | Helicóptero de búsqueda y rescate | 1 | 1985– | One, Sif (TF-SIF). | ||
| Aerospatiale AS332L1 Super Puma | Helicóptero de búsqueda y rescate | 1 | 1995– | One, Líf (TF-LIF). | ||
| Bell 47J/G | Helicóptero ligero | Number and dates not found. | ||||
| Hughes/MD 500C | Helicóptero ligero | Number and dates not found. | ||||
| Eurocopter AS350 | Helicóptero ligero | Number and dates not found. |
Where the Icelandic Coast Guard flies from
Two airfields matter. The Coast Guard’s aircraft are based at Reykjavík Airport, while Keflavík, the former US naval air station, holds the NATO security area the Coast Guard runs and where allied fighters deploy for Icelandic Air Policing. Coordinates are from Wikipedia and the existing Keflavik row, because the Icelandic AIP could not be read.
| Base | OACI | Estado | Pista | Unidades y aeronaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KeflavíkKeflavík Airport security areaSouthern Peninsula (Suðurnes) | BIKF | Activo |
|
|
| Reykjavík AirportCapital Region (Höfuðborgarsvæðið) | BIRK | Activo |
|
Ninguna base aérea coincide con esa búsqueda.
Who is stationed where in the Icelandic Coast Guard Aviation Department
Unidades por base. The Coast Guard’s aeronautical division at Reykjavík flies all four Icelandic aircraft; at Keflavík the only Icelandic unit is the air defence control and reporting centre, and the aircraft there are visiting allied fighters.
- Icelandic Coast Guard aeronautical divisionCoast guard aviation unit · active
- Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 (TF-SIF), Airbus H225 (TF-EIR, TF-GRO, TF-GNA)
- Iceland Air Defence System control and reporting centreAir defence control centre (no aircraft) · active
No se encontró ninguna unidad que coincida con esa búsqueda.
Icelandic Coast Guard Aviation Department milestones, 1914 to today
1 July: the Icelandic Coast Guard is formally founded.
The Coast Guard first uses an aircraft, a Grumman Goose leased from Loftleiðir.
5 May: the defence agreement with the United States; US forces return to Keflavík.
10 December: the Coast Guard acquires its first own aircraft, the PBY-6A Catalina Rán (TF-RAN).
A Sikorsky S-62, Gná, is bought; it crashes on Skálafell in 1975 without injuries.
A Sikorsky S-76, Rán, is acquired.
November: Rán crashes in Jökulfirðir in the Westfjords on a training flight; its four crew are killed.
The Dauphin II Sif arrives; it is credited with about 250 rescues.
The AS332L1 Super Puma Líf arrives.
September: the US Air Force stops deploying fighters to Keflavík; the base closes and is handed to Iceland.
May: the first NATO Icelandic Air Policing deployment, under a 2007 decision.
The Dash 8 Q300 TF-SIF enters service.
H225s arrive: TF-EIR in March and TF-GRO, on lease, on 6 July.
April: the H225 TF-GNA arrives.
Summer: a Tekever AR5 drone flies about 300 hours from Höfn with EMSA. Late September: the Coast Guard’s centenary is celebrated at Harpa.
Who built the Icelandic Coast Guard Aviation Department fleet
Cada empresa que fabrica los aviones que aparecen en esta página tiene su propia página: la historia, todos los tipos que ha fabricado, las cifras y las demás fuerzas aéreas que los utilizan.
Flota actual y pedidos
Antigua flota
Aeroespacial, Sikorsky, Campana, Aeronaves consolidadas, Douglas, Eurocóptero, Fokker, Grumman, Hughes, Helicópteros MD
Everything people ask about the Icelandic Coast Guard Aviation Department
Does Iceland have an air force?
Who protects Icelandic airspace?
What aircraft does the Icelandic Coast Guard fly?
What is the Coast Guard’s aviation department called?
When did the Icelandic Coast Guard get its first aircraft?
What was the Coast Guard’s worst air accident?
Did Coast Guard aircraft take part in the Cod Wars?
Can I see old Icelandic Coast Guard aircraft?
Does the Icelandic Coast Guard use drones?
Read the aircraft the Icelandic Coast Guard Aviation Department flew
Cada tipo tiene una página en el Libro de las Bestias, primero en servicio y luego por el año en que abandonó la flota.
Todos los datos, verificados
- Landhelgisgæsla Íslands: Loftör (aircraft)Official. TF-SIF Dash 8 Q300; TF-EIR arrived March 2019; TF-GRO arrived on lease 6 July 2019; TF-GNA arrived April 2021.
- Landhelgisgæsla Íslands: TF-GNÁOfficial. Airbus Helicopters H225, built 2014; crew of five; range 613 nm; equipment.
- Landhelgisgæsla Íslands: TF-SIFOfficial. Dash 8 Q300 surveillance and rescue aircraft; equipment; range about 2,100 nm; Skógarhlíð 14 address.
- Icelandic Coast Guard: English pagesOfficial. New Dash 8 of the same type and equipment as the Swedish Coast Guard’s (page items dated 2009–2011).
- Landhelgisgæsla Íslands: Varnarmál (defence)Official. Iceland Air Defence System, air policing, operation of Icelandic and NATO security areas.
- Landhelgisgæsla Íslands: Loftrýmisgæsla (air policing)Official. NATO decision 2007; ten Allies since 2008; usually three deployments a year at the Keflavík security area.
- Landhelgisgæsla Íslands: Íslenska loftvarnakerfiðOfficial. Four radar stations; control and reporting centre at Keflavík; run by Coast Guard staff as part of NATO’s integrated air defence.
- Landhelgisgæsla Íslands: Ómannað loftfar jók eftirlitsgetu Landhelgisgæslunnar á hafinu (9 September 2026)Official. Tekever AR5 with EMSA, summer 2026, about 300 hours from Höfn í Hornafirði.
- Landhelgisgæsla Íslands: 100 ára afmæli Landhelgisgæslunnar fagnað í Hörpu (28 September 2026)Official. Georg Lárusson, Director General; Minister of Justice; President; helicopter landing at Harpa.
Cifras verificadas el 1 de octubre de 2026. Las páginas de Orden de Batalla se regeneran a partir de un único conjunto de datos; si algún número aquí no coincide con el de una página del Libro de las Bestias, esta página es la más reciente de las dos.
Photographs: Photo: Olga Ernst / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Photo: Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Jack Lindsay / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: USAF / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Marek Wozniak / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: SSGT ANTHONY W. LUSI / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Guilherme Borges dos Santos / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)