Norway completes F‑35 fleet: A boost to defence capabilities
The last batch of F-35 fighters has arrived in Norway, marking the country as the first partner in the F-35 program to receive all aircraft as per its order.
The F-35 is the world's best fighter jet and I am very pleased that we will receive the last of the 52 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin that Norway has ordered. The aircraft ensure that we can safeguard Norwegian sovereignty and maintain even better control over our areas on land, at sea and in the air," said Tore O. Sandvik, Norwegian Minister of Defence.
Norway with a full complement of F-35 fighters
The F-35 is a fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter. In the F-35A variant, which Norway has also chosen, it's a conventional take-off and landing aircraft. It can reach speeds of up to approximately 1.6 Mach (about 2,000 km/h) and operate at altitudes up to 15,000 metres. It is adapted for electronic warfare and can carry several tonnes of conventional armament in the form of missiles and bombs. It is typically armed with a five-barrel GAU-22/A 25 mm cannon.
F-35 in an underground base
The Norwegian authorities decided to purchase the F-35 fighter jets back in 2008. The introduction of more modern aircraft has allowed for the replacement of the ageing F-16 fleet. These older jets have not been scrapped and will continue to serve in NATO. A total of 32 Norwegian F-16s have been sold to Romania.
As the portal Militarnyj notes, Norway relied for a long time on bases in Ørland and Evenes. However, in 2024, following a 40-year hiatus, the forward base Bardufoss (constructed in 1938) was reactivated and modified to accommodate F-35 fighters. Part of Norway's fleet of these aircraft has already been stationed there.
Bardufoss is a mountainous base known for hangars carved into the rocks for the aircraft. According to Norwegian authorities, it was reactivated due to the "changing security environment and the analysis of the war in Ukraine."
Several Norwegian F-35s are currently deployed in Poland for operations related to the protection of the airport in Jasionka near Rzeszow.
