Norway finalizes sale of 32 F-16s to Romania
Norway recently announced that it has finalized the sale of 32 of its F-16 fighter aircraft to Romania, following approval from both American and Norwegian authorities, for a sum of EUR 388 mln.
The sale is meant to complement the batch of 17 F-16s bought from Portugal.
"The sale will strengthen and modernize the defense of an allied nation that has Ukraine as its neighbor," Norwegian minister of defense Bjorn Arild Gram said in a statement, as reported by Digi24.
Norway PM Jonas Gahr Store reportedly ruled out delivering the aircraft to Ukraine to help it repel the Russian invasion.
Romania is buying the planes to modernize its airforce, which had previously relied on older MiG-21 LanceR jets, and achieve higher compatibility with other NATO forces. Prior to delivery to Romania, the Norwegian aircraft will undergo maintenance operations at Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services. The contract includes spare parts and the training of technical personnel.
The sales process was lengthy and required approval from the United States and Norway, who strictly control who can purchase F-16 aircraft.
Norway is also modernizing its own fleet with more advanced F-35 aircraft from American manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The last Norwegian F-16s were retired from service in early 2022. Nevertheless, Norway still possesses several F-16s that it could deliver to Ukraine if it decided so. The Norwegian government has stated that it will consider means of assisting in the training of Ukrainian personnel on these F-16s, without yet commenting on the potential delivery of aircraft to Kyiv.
(Photo source: Mapn.ro)
