Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighters flew their last mission out of Bodø Air Base on Jan. 6, 2022, and the base ended all fighter operations after that
Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) F-16 Fighting Falcon jets were scheduled to fly their final mission from Bodø Air Base on Jan. 6, 2022. After that date, the base ceased all fighter operations, according to Alert 5.
Bodø has been Norway’s most important air base from the Cold War up to the present day, with jet fighters stationed there since 1955.
The Barents Observer noted that, situated about 80 km inside the Arctic Circle, Bodø occupies a strategic position on the Norwegian Sea coast and lies within a short flying distance to protect northern airspace from Russian military aircraft operating out of the Kola Peninsula.
The shutdown of Bodø signifies not only the conclusion of an important era in NATO’s Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) operations but also the end of 40 years of the F-16 serving as the RNoAF’s primary fighter jet.
Of the 52 new F-35 Lightning II strike fighters, 24 had been delivered to the RNoAF, and all were in operational service until 2025. The F-35 fleet was primarily stationed at Ørland Air Base in southern Norway, with several aircraft also assigned to NATO’s QRA duties at Evenes Air Station near Harstad in the north.
On Jan. 6, 2022, F-35 fighter jets began providing active QRA coverage for NATO from Evenes, while the final two F-16s based at Bodø carried out their last mission. One of these F-16s then returned to Bodø to be retired and displayed at the town’s Aviation Museum. As previously noted, a significant share of the RNoAF’s F-16 fleet was overhauled and prepared for resale.
In March 2021, Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services (KAMS) signed a contract with the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) to service and prepare retired F-16 aircraft from the Norwegian Armed Forces for resale.
On Dec. 3, 2022, the NDMA finalized a deal with U.S. adversary air services provider Draken International to sell up to 12 RNoAF F-16 fighters to the company. According to Debrief.com, these jets are employed in Draken’s training operations in the United States.
“The F-16 has served the Norwegian armed forces and the nation very well for over 40 years until its replacement by the F-35. The defense ministry has been clear on their wish that Norwegian F-16s should see continued use by others within the NATO alliance. We are therefore pleased that the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency has agreed to sell up to 12 aircraft to Draken International, a company offering services to the US military,” Norwegian defense minister Odd-Roger Enoksen said.
“We also continue our discussions with NATO allies about the sale of several Norwegian F-16s. I, therefore, look forward to seeing our aircraft remaining in active service for some time,” he added.
As Janes reported, on Dec. 10, 2021, Romanian Defence Minister Vasile Dîncu announced that Bucharest intends to purchase 32 RNoAF F-16s to supplement the ex-Portuguese aircraft currently operated by the Romanian Air Force (RoAF).
Together with Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands, Norway was one of the first four European nations to join the Multi-National Fighter Program (MNFP), ordering a total of 74 F-16A/B aircraft. According to F-16.net, 56 of these were later upgraded under the MLU program.
Photo by Ssgt. Rodney K. Prouty / U.S. Air Force
