The Royal Norwegian Air Force has taken delivery of three new F-35A Lightning II combat aircraft as part of the Joint Strike Fighter Program in partnership with the US Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin.
The jets, which arrived at Ørland Air Base in Trøndelag, increased the military’s F-35A fleet to 49 out of the 52 procured units under the initiative.
Oslo noted that the remaining aircraft will be delivered to the service by spring to officially finalize the acquisition.
“With this, the largest mainland investment in Norwegian history is almost complete,” Norwegian Defence Materiel Air Capabilities – Fighter Aircraft Department Col. Tord Aslaksen commented at the acceptance ceremony.
“What remains is the final deliveries of a number of advanced weapon types that have been ordered in connection with the fighter aircraft acquisition. After the delivery of aircraft was resumed, we are very satisfied with how quickly this is now going.’
“Given the complexity inherent in the development and production of fifth-generation fighter aircraft, I am very impressed with the delivery capability of the manufacturer of the F-35. This also includes the partners’ ability to jointly tackle ongoing challenges.”
Fifth-Gen Airborne Asset in Norway
The Joint Strike Fighter Program is an ongoing multinational initiative between the US and allied nations, including Norway, to produce a common fifth-generation fighter jet for their respective air forces.
In 2012, F-35 developer Lockheed Martin shipped Norway’s first F-35A airframes under the initiative.
Oslo’s defense agency announced that the future fleet would eventually replace the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcon fourth-generation combat systems operational since the 80s.
During that time, the Nordic country revealed that its 52-aircraft plan would cost approximately 60 billion kroner ($5.3 billion) if all options were exercised.
Lockheed Martin’s F-35A System
The F-35A Lightning II aircraft measures 51 feet (16 meters) long and has a wingspan of 35 feet (11 meters).
It can be armed with a 25-caliber rotary cannon, multi-domain missiles, guided and unguided munitions, and nuclear bombs.
The platform is powered by a Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 afterburning turbofan for a range of 1,500 nautical miles (1,726 miles/2,778 kilometers), an altitude of 50,000 feet (15,240 meters), and a top speed of Mach 1.6 (1,228 miles/1,976 kilometers per hour).
