Norway declares IOC for F-35A
The Royal Norwegian Air Force’s fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35As has achieved initial operational capability (IOC), becoming the third European country to declare the milestone after Italy and the UK.
‘I would like to congratulate the Norwegian armed forces on declaring IOC with the F-35,’ Frank Bakke-Jensen, Norway’s defence minister, said.
‘This is a big day for the entire armed forces.’
Norway’s ministry of defence announced the milestone on 6 November following two years of intensive operational testing and evaluation (OT&E).
This two-year period saw the F-35A trialled in ‘special Norwegian conditions’, including winter operations, operations in the northern areas of the country, and joint operations with the Norwegian army, navy and special forces.
The OT&E period was concluded with the Norwegian armed forces transferring aircraft and equipment from its home base at Ørland Air Station to Rygge Air Station, which validated that the fifth-generation aircraft could be operated away from its main base.
Norway’s F35As will deploy to Iceland next year to conduct air policing efforts on behalf of NATO, and in 2022 the air force will have enough F-35s, pilots and maintainers to allow the aircraft to take over the ‘quick reaction alert’ mission, which is a 24/7 alert and scramble capability based at Evenes Air Station.
Norway plans to buy a total of 52 F-35As, according to the MoD.
More from Defence Notes
-
US Army seeks 'fundamental transformation' to face future threats
‘The army is really undergoing its most fundamental transformation in 40 years. We are moving away from the system that we designed in the 80s’, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth has claimed,
-
US provides a further $325 million worth of arms and equipment to support Ukraine, taking total to $43.9 billion since invasion
The US on 21 September announced another $325 million in arms and equipment to Ukraine, including missiles, air defence systems, ammunition and vehicles in support of the Eastern European country’s operations against the Russian invasion.
-
DSEI 2023 in review: Ukraine, AI and the real world
DSEI 2023 took place in the shadow of the largest European land war in more than seven decades and a growth in conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) with limited UK immediate defence programme opportunities; many of the new products and exhibitors' announcements reflected this.
-
Pentagon to strengthen cyber networks of US partners and allies
The recently released 2023 Cyber Strategy states that the US will build the capacity and capability of allies and partners in cyberspace and expand avenues of potential cyber cooperation.
-
Pentagon bets on advanced autonomous solutions to match Chinese military capabilities
The US DoD recently disclosed details of the Replicator initiative to field thousands of uncrewed systems in two years across multiple domains.
-
The centre of gravity of ‘Axis of Evil 2.0’ shifts eastwards (Opinion)
Russia might be at the tip of the spear in terms of authoritarian aggression, but it has plenty of backers in the shape of countries like China, Iran and North Korea. Others, like India, try to duplicitously sit on the fence.