According to a news update from the Royal Air Force, twelve members of No. 99 Squadron RAF have joined their Canadian counterparts in the Arctic Circle for Operation Boxtop.
The joint mission involves resupplying Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert, the northernmost permanently inhabited place on Earth.
The RAF team, consisting of C-17 Globemaster aircrew and ground support personnel, has been working alongside members of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to deliver vital supplies to the remote base, which lies over 1,100 miles inside the Arctic Circle.
CFS Alert plays a key role in climate change research and supports various Canadian Forces operations.
Flight Lieutenant Shaw, a junior co-pilot with the RAF detachment, remarked in the news update: “It’s been amazing to learn from the Canadians. These guys are born for this stuff and training this far North is an awesome opportunity we can’t get anywhere else.”
The mission highlights the unique difficulties of Arctic flying. CFS Alert can only be reached by air during the harsh winter months when the Arctic Sea is frozen over, requiring specialised training to land on a 5,500-foot snow and gravel runway. The RAF’s participation follows their previous involvement in Operation Boxtop, marking the second consecutive year of cooperation with the Canadians.
Operation Boxtop itself involves shuttling supplies between Pituffik Space Base in Greenland and CFS Alert, ensuring that the remote outpost remains operational throughout the brutal Arctic winter. During the two-week mission, crews delivered nearly two million litres of jet fuel, crucial for powering heaters, generators, radios, and scientific equipment.
Flight Lieutenant Chandler, the RAF detachment commander, explained the complexities of the operation in the release: “Flying in the extreme north presents a number of challenges that us Brits aren’t used to. When it’s -40°C even the simplest things can get difficult real quick, and when you’re landing a 200-ton jet on a strip less than half the length of Heathrow, that’s also covered in ice, it’s far from simple!”
