The Government has asked the Parliament to okay to the construction of twelve hangars for the new F-35 combat aircraft at the Ørland Air field in Sør-Trøndelag.
The project has been proposed with a budget of NOK 2.26 billion.
Each of the hangars will accommodate two of the newly purchased combat aircraft, and is supposed to have a robust construction that provides both adequate safety against penetration and adequate protection against external influence.
– The construction of hangars for the F-35 is an extremely important project towards the establishment of the combat aircraft base at Ørland and the acquisition of F-35 as the Armed Forces new combat aircraft.
– It will provide safe and efficient handling of the aircraft on the ground, which is a prerequisite for securing the requirements of the air force’s operational ability, according to Minister of Defence, Ine Eriksen Søreide (Conservatives).
The Minister says that the short period available to evaluate the proposal makes it important to construct the base so that it can serve as an effective base whether in peace, crisis or war.
The hangars will be finished by spring of 2020, so that the transition from the old F-16 to the F-35 can go according to plan.
By 2025, Norway will purchase around 50 new combat aircraft. The first two aircraft were delivered in November 2015 with two more last year. Norwegian pilots now are training at the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, USA. The first aircraft will arrive in Norway later this year.
The Fighter project costs NOK 68 billion, including procurement, weapons, training, simulators and other equipment, but obviously exempt of the cost of hangars.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
