Norway Gets 3 More F-35 Lightning II Stealth Jets

The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RoNAF) received three new F-35A jets on May 26.

The fighters landed at Ørland Air Force Station in central Norway after a 10-hour flight from the United States.

“Three newest editions to Norway’s increasing fleet of F-35 fighter aircraft arrived at Ørland main airstation tonight at 21:57 local time. Eighteen F-35s have been delivered to Norway while seven more are in the US. The Air Force is well underway with testing and training at the Ørland air station and training personnel at Luke Air Force base,” RoNAF (Luftforsvaret) said in a statement.

“In 2025, the F-35s will reach full operational capability,” RoNAF said.

Norway is the fourth country after the United States, Israel and Italy to receive the F-35 stealth fighters.

The country joined the F-35 program as a partner in the System Development and Demonstration phase. In November 2008, the Norwegian government selected the F-35 as the replacement for the F-16 fleet. It received its first F-35A three years ago.