RAF C-17 joins Canadian resupply mission at most remote outpost in the High North

A Royal Air Force transport aircraft has landed in the Arctic after joining a Canadian mission to deliver fuel and supplies to one of the most remote settlements on Earth. 

The flight took the C-17 Globemaster to Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert, the station on the northeast tip of Ellesmere Island, about 817km from the North Pole.

The mission formed part of Canada's regular resupply operation for CFS Alert, known as Operation Boxtop.

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The station is the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world and is so isolated that the main supply effort is concentrated into spring and autumn flights.

Supply run at the top of the world

The C-17 landed on a semi-prepared runway of gravel and compacted snow after staging through Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. The crew members from 99 Squadron then made eight trips into Alert, delivering nearly 300,000 litres of fuel.

Flight Lieutenant Mike Chandler, a 99 Squadron pilot, said: "Flying into the High Arctic is demanding, especially when the weather can change on a dime, but that's exactly why this activity is so important."

The station supports military operations in the far north, including signals work and search and rescue, and it also serves Arctic research and weather monitoring.

British personnel worked alongside Canadian counterparts with mixed crews flying on each other's aircraft during the mission.

Growing importance of the High North 

The High North has the potential to become the world's most strategically contested region. 

Its importance is accelerating as climate change opens vast untapped reserves of oil, natural gas and minerals, previously unaccessible because of permanent ice. 

Meanwhile, melting sea ice is unlocking new shipping routes, most notably the Northern Sea Route along Russia's coast, that could shave weeks off voyages between Asia and Europe. 

Operations like Boxtop enhance the RAF's readiness for operations in the High North.