Norway provides two F-16 training aircraft for the training of Ukrainian personnel in Denmark. The Chief of the Air Force, Rolf Folland, had invited Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) to Bodø to take part in the last test flight before the two planes are sent to Skydstrup air station in Denmark. – Being in the cockpit is the best way to understand and learn how the combat system on the F-16 works, says Folland. In Denmark, Ukrainian fighter pilots and technicians will receive training on the American fighter plane, which has served Norway from 1980 until the F-35 took over in 2022. ON PLACE IN BODØ: Chief of the Air Force, Major General Rolf Folland. Here together with lieutenant colonel Bård Bakke, who is the head of the training mission in Denmark on the F-16. Photo: Bente H. Johansen / news The planes come in addition to ten instructors that Norway provides for the training. According to what news is learning, Norway will eventually donate up to ten fighter jets to Ukraine. – Support for Ukraine to establish a modern combat air force is a large and long-term effort in which a number of allies and partners contribute. This will be important for stability and security throughout Europe, says Bjørn Arild Gram. In addition to Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium will also donate F-16 combat aircraft to Ukraine. Pilots and technicians are in full swing with training in several countries. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram flew the F-16 when he arrived at Bodø air station today. Two Norwegian F-16 aircraft are now being prepared before they are sent to Skydstrup air base in Denmark. Photo: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad / news It is unclear how many F-16 aircraft Ukraine will eventually get, but it has been suggested that there may be up to 100 aircraft. The fighters will replace Ukraine’s increasingly depleted fleet of Soviet-era Mig-29, Su-24 and Su-25. Gram says that the government is concerned that Norway should provide arms support based on Ukrainian needs. In that case, donations from the Armed Forces’ own holdings will no longer be sufficient. TO UKRAINE: An F-16 takes off from Bodø on Wednesday morning. The plane is going to Denmark and later Ukraine. Norway is sending between five and ten F-16 aircraft to assist Ukraine in the war against Russia. Photo: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad / news – In the future, we will contribute by donating new material directly from the industry and training Ukrainian personnel, says Gram. This is the history of the F16 aircraft The aircraft was originally developed and manufactured by General Dynamics and first flew on 20 January 1974. Production began both in the USA and in Europe (SABCA in Belgium and Fokker in the Netherlands) in 1978, and the first operational aircraft were delivered from 1979. The F-16 is still in production, and over 4,500 aircraft have been delivered. Production was taken over by Lockheed in 1993 (Lockheed Martin from 1995). The newest variant is the F-16V, which in 2012 was officially named Viper. Among other things, this is equipped with a modernized cockpit and AESA radar (Active Electronically Scanned Array). F16 aircraft in Norway A total of 74 F-16s were delivered to Norway, 60 single-seat F-16A and 12 two-seat F-16B between 1980 and 1984, and a further two F-16B in 1987. The aircraft delivered to Norway were evenly distributed between the first (Block 1/5/10) and the second (Block 15) main variant. Remaining aircraft have since been updated. Specifications The Norwegian F-16 is now equipped with a Pratt & Whitney F100-220E turbofan engine (see aircraft engine) with a performance of up to 120.1 kN. They are equipped with an M61 20-millimeter machine gun, and can carry AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, Penguin surface-to-air missiles, electronic jammers, and laser-guided as well as free-falling bombs on external mounting masts. (source: Store Norske lexikon) – Bites off well The planes that will eventually go to Ukraine have been stored in Bodø, Rygge and Kjeller. Folland assures that the planes have been well maintained and looked after. – The planes have been turned up again and made operational. Although this is 70s technology, these planes still pack a punch. – A heavy lift The mission to support Ukrainian combat aircraft capability comes in addition to the phasing in of the F-35 combat aircraft and the P-8 surveillance aircraft. Lieutenant Colonel Bård Bakke is the commander of the training mission in Denmark on the F-16 acknowledges that the situation is demanding. – When the Air Force is also preparing the F-16 for sale to Romania, it has been a heavy lift for the combat aircraft environment in the Armed Forces and Defense materiel. An F-16 aircraft at Bodø air station on Wednesday morning. Photo: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad / news Although Norway is sending expired aircraft to the war in Ukraine, they are still relatively modern aircraft, according to Bakke. – Both aircraft and weapon systems have been upgraded. The aircraft will be used in air warfare and air-to-ground warfare. The planes will be equipped with drones and missiles that will hit targets on the ground. Nevertheless, Bakke is clear that the F-16 is no miracle weapon that will decide the war. – The situation in Ukraine is extremely complex. There is no single weapon that can win the war in Ukraine. It is cooperation that applies, across the board. The F-16 was phased out during 2021, to make room for the Air Force’s new aircraft F-35-Her from a formation flight over Bodø. Photo: Defense Will it be a target? Associate professor Lars Peder Haga at the Norwegian Air Force School believes the planes will become a high-priority target for the Russians. – It will be a great prestige victory for the Russians to destroy the planes on the ground before they can be taken off. We can expect that the Russians will use large resources to find out which bases they are deployed on and try to attack them where they stand, says Haga to news. Norway and other European countries therefore send an expired flight to Ukraine. Among other things, because it has poorer survivability against Russian systems than, for example, the F-35 has, according to Haga. – If you really wanted to help Ukraine, couldn’t you have sent the F-35? – It would be more expensive and a more time-consuming training. And then there will be concern that the plane could end up in Russian hands. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram seemed very happy when he got off the F-16 plane in Bodø on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad / news – If they get the right air-to-air weapons, they will reduce the advantage in range that the Russians have now. He says it is reasonable to believe that the planes will be equipped with standard weapons for the F-16, such as AIM-9 short-range and AIM-120 long-range missiles. – The AIM-9 does not give the Ukrainians much more than missiles they already have, but the AIM-120 both has a significantly longer range and does not force them to continue flying towards Russian fighter planes after firing like the radar-guided missiles they already have, says Haga. Coming too late? Haga says the Ukrainians probably wished they had received the planes sooner, so they could begin the transition to a new type of aircraft before losses and attrition reduced their existing fleet. – If you had started donating aircraft last year, you might have been operational earlier. Which could make a difference in the Ukrainian offensive. A transition to Western combat aircraft is in any case necessary for Ukraine in the longer term, says Haga. – Ukraine has to replace its Soviet-built aircraft fleet. It consists of old planes, which are shot down and worn out. Parts and weapons are hard to come by. If they are going to have an air defense in two or three years, they will have to switch to western aircraft types, says Haga. Photo: Luftkrigskolen Asking for help NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly stressed the importance of international support for Ukraine. – It is our duty to ensure that Ukraine gets the weapons it needs. It would have been a tragedy if Putin won, not only for Ukraine, but also for us, he said at a NATO foreign meeting in November. The government has decided that Norway will support Ukraine in building a modern combat air force. The purpose in the longer term is to enable Ukraine to safeguard its own security without international support. Here Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj. Photo: Cicilie Sigrid Andersen / news Ukraine has for a long time asked for support to build up Ukraine’s air defense with modern combat aircraft. In July last year, it became known that Norway would donate F-16 fighters to Ukraine. On 11 December, it became clear that Great Britain and Norway are joining forces to lead the maritime coalition that will help Ukraine build coastal and naval defences. Gave 11 billion last year Gram says that Norway will continue to provide significant military support to Ukraine. – In total, Norway has provided approximately NOK 11 billion in military support in 2023. We will continue to support Ukraine as long as they fight their defense battle, says the defense minister. In 2024, F-16 aircraft from Norway may be on the wings in Ukraine. Here, a practice flight at Bodø air station. It is not known whether this flight is now going to Denmark. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news Chief of the Air Force, Major General Rolf Folland, says that the help Norway provides to Ukraine is a long-term commitment from the Norwegian side that will give us valuable experience. – That we, together with other NATO countries, equip them with modern combat aircraft is a long-term commitment, he says. This F-16 aircraft is being prepared to be sent to Skydstrup Air Station in Denmark. Photo: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad / news
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F-16 aircraft are being prepared in Bodø – may soon be on the wings in Ukraine – news Nordland
