At the end of last February, the Royal Norwegian Air Force took another step in the incorporation of F-35A stealth fighters. This milestone was achieved with the arrival of three new fifth-generation combat aircraft in the Nordic country, bringing its fleet to 49 out of the total 52 acquired from the United States through its partnership with Lockheed Martin.
In 2008, the Royal Norwegian Air Force officially selected the F-35 Lightning II. With this acquisition, the country aimed to modernize its combat fleet, replacing the F-16 Fighting Falcons that had guarded its skies for decades. These aircraft have been retired, with Romania’s Air Force already operating them and Ukraine’s Air Force expected to receive them soon.
By 2015, Norwegian pilots were already conducting their first test and training flights with the new combat platform, and in 2017, the first F-35 arrived at Ørland Air Base, initiating the delivery schedule for the 52 aircraft.
As deliveries progressed, the Norwegian government also worked to enhance the weapon system with new arms purchases from the U.S., including AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and StormBreaker glide bombs.
Regarding the delivery schedule, the arrival of three F-35s at Ørland Air Base in late February followed the addition of six stealth fighters between November and December last year.
Norway’s Defense Material Agency highlighted the resumption of deliveries by Lockheed Martin, which has partially overcome challenges related to implementing the F-35’s TR-3 update. This had caused at least a one-year delay compared to the original timeline set in the 2008 agreement.
On this matter, Colonel Tord Aslaksen, head of the Fighter Department in the Air Capabilities Division of the Defense Material Agency, stated: “Since aircraft deliveries resumed, we are very pleased with how quickly the process is progressing.”
Finally, as the delivery program nears completion, the last three stealth fighters are expected to arrive in Norway soon, specifically during the spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
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