Dual-Capable Aircraft Certification and the Credibility of NATO’s Nuclear Posture
Operational Readiness, Survivability and Industrial Dependencies in the Nuclear Sharing Framework
Dual-Capable Aircraft Certification constitutes a critical capability within NATO’s nuclear deterrence architecture. It ensures that allied fighter aircraft assigned to the nuclear sharing mission meet stringent standards of readiness, safety, interoperability and survivability before being entrusted with nuclear delivery roles. Without formal certification, the Alliance’s forward-based nuclear posture becomes operationally hollow, as aircraft may be physically present but unable to execute their assigned mission under crisis conditions. The credibility of extended deterrence therefore depends not only on political commitments and stockpiled weapons, but on a technically validated, continuously exercised and industrially supported fleet capable of penetrating contested airspace, integrating within NATO’s command-and-control architecture, and operating under high-intensity, electronically contested environments.