Norway confirms future delivery of F-16s to Ukraine

The Norwegian authorities have decided to transfer its F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Jonas Har Støre, Norwegian Prime Minister, announced this during his visit to Kyiv.

The head of the Norwegian government did not announce the exact number of aircraft, but it is known that 2 fighter jets will be provided immediately for training.

Thus, Norway will become the third NATO country after the Netherlands and Denmark to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.

“Norway supports Ukraine in its efforts to build a modern air defense system. This is important and necessary. We have already decided to train Ukrainian fighter pilots and announced in the summer that we will provide two Norwegian F-16 fighter jets for training,” the Norwegian Prime Minister said at a press conference in Kyiv.

“We plan to transfer Norwegian F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and will provide further information on the transfer, quantity and delivery time in due course,” he added.

According to the Norwegian national broadcaster NRK, it could be as many as five to ten fighter pilots.

The Prime Minister of Norway emphasized that Oslo will transfer the F-16s in close cooperation with its allies, including Denmark and the Netherlands, which had previously announced such a step.

This would regard 12 aircraft that the American company Draken International was preparing for sale. The acquired F-16s were planned to be used as the “Aggressor” side in US air exercises. It can be assumed that the agreement was canceled.

Norway decommissioned its F-16s in January 2022, and in November of the same year, Romania and Norway signed a €388 million deal to sell 32 fighter jets.

Norway has received about 60 F-16As and 14 F-16Bs over the course of its operation. The exact number of aircraft remaining at Norway’s disposal after the decommissioning and sale of part of the fleet to Romania is unknown.

It is confirmed that the fighter jets purchased by Romania have the M6.5.2 modernization package under the MLU program. This means that the fighter jets can use a wide range of different rocket and missile armaments and have updated avionics.