With the decommissioning of its F-16 fighters, the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) will also cease operations at Bodø air base in the Arctic.
The last RNoAF mission at the base takes place this Thursday (06), with the last takeoff of two F-16s, ending permanent military operations at the facility. One aircraft will still return to the base, where it will be displayed at the Aviation Museum on site.
Even with the closure of Bodø, Norway will maintain a detachment of search and rescue helicopters operating at the base, while civil operations continue as normal, notes the aerotime hub.
On the same day, the F-35As take over the RNoAF's Rapid Reaction Alert (QRA). The stealth fighters will be operating from Evenes Air Station near Harstad.
“Integrating the modern fifth-generation F-35 fighter aircraft into the 24/7 mission of protecting the skies at home and abroad is a huge boost,” Lieutenant Colonel Tron Strand, commander of the 132nd Air Wing, said in a NATO press release. “Norwegian F-35s have already flown missions – in Norway and Iceland – in the context of NATO. They have proven their compatibility and integration with NATO Air Command and Control.”
Strand also says that with the F-35s on standby in Evenes, the RNoAF will be providing “more networked and mission capable hunting resources”. The northernmost base is also home to the 333rd Squadron, which will operate the new P-8 Poseidon from the country. Norway participates in NATO efforts to monitor Russian aircraft close to its airspace, specifically those operating above the Barents Sea.
In October 2021, it was revealed that the Norwegian Air Force would retire its fleet of F-16A/B MLU fighters, with only the F-35A as its fighter vector. Of the 52 F-35s acquired, 24 are already in the country and another 10 in the United States where they are used to train new pilots.
Of the 53 F-16s, 12 have already been sold to a US company. The Government of Romania has also revealed that it has interest in acquiring 32 fighter jets.
