Norway will write off all its F-16s by the end of this year. On combat duty, they will be replaced by F-35 fighters, of which there are already 31 units in the Norwegian Air Force. Thus, Norway will become the first country in the world whose Air Force will completely switch to a new generation of fighters.
According to the portal scramble.nl, Luftforsvaret (as the Norwegian Air Force is officially called) will write off the last of the 57 F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcon fighters by the end of the year. Two reasons contributed to this: The Norwegian army already has 31 F-35 fighter jets at its disposal; Romania claims the decommissioned F-16s.
Tests of the F-35 fighter with a braking parachute
Norway plans to receive 52 units of F-35A fighters in a modification with a braking parachute. The last of the aircraft should be delivered in 2024 if the COVID-19 pandemic does not make adjustments to the delivery schedule.
In addition, yesterday, October 22, it became known that the procurement agency of the Norwegian Ministry of Defense FMA (Forsvarsmateriell) signed a contract with Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (KDA) for 3.95 billion Norwegian crowns ($480 million) for the purchase of JSM (Joint Strike Missile) cruise missiles. These missiles are designed to arm the F-35A Lightning II.
