The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) () is the

air force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It was established as a separate arm of the

Norwegian Armed Forces The Norwegian Armed Forces () are the armed forces responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Norwegian Coast Guard, Coast Guard, the Royal Norwegian Air ...

on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximately 2,430 employees (officers, enlisted staff and civilians). 600 personnel also serve their draft period in the RNoAF. After

mobilization Mobilization (alternatively spelled as mobilisation) is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the ...

, the RNoAF would consist of approximately 5,500 personnel. The infrastructure of the RNoAF includes seven

airbase An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

s (at

Ørland Orland or Ørland is the name, or part of the name, of a number of places and people: Places Canada * Orland, Saskatchewan, a hamlet in Hillsborough No. 132, Saskatchewan Norway *Ørland Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county * Ørland ...

, Rygge, Andøya, Evenes,

Bardufoss or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and commercial centre in Målselv Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The urban area was formally established as a town under Norwegian law in 2021 when the three villages of Andselv, Andslimo ...

, Bodø, and Gardermoen). It also has one control and reporting centre (in Sørreisa Municipality) and three training centres: Værnes in Stjørdal Municipality (about northeast of

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

), Kjevik in

Kristiansand Municipality Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

, and at KNM Harald Haarfagre/ Madlaleiren in

Stavanger Municipality Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

History

Conception

Military flights started on 1 June 1912. The first plane, , was bought with money donated by the public and piloted by Hans Dons, second in command of Norway's first

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

HNoMS ''Kobben'' (A-1). Until 1940 most of the aircraft belonging to the Navy and Army air forces were domestic designs or built under license agreements, the main bomber/scout aircraft of the Army air force being the Dutch-originated Fokker C.V.

World War II

Build-up for World War II

Norwegian Army Air Service Gloster Gladiator 423

Before 1944, the Air Force were divided into the Norwegian Army Air Service (Hærens Flyvevaaben) and the

Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service () was alongside the Norwegian Army Air Service the forerunner to the modern-day Royal Norwegian Air Force. History The RNNAS was established on 1 June 1912,Official Norwegian Defence Force websiteThe first ...

(Marinens Flyvevaaben). In the late 1930s, as war seemed imminent, more modern aircraft were bought from abroad, including twelve

Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. Developed privat ...

fighters from the UK, and six Heinkel He 115s from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Considerable orders for aircraft were placed with United States companies during the months prior to the invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940. The most important of the US orders were two orders for comparatively modern

Curtiss P-36 Hawk The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation ...

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

fighters. The first was for 24 Hawk 75A-6 (with 1200 hp

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...

R-1830-SC3-G Twin Wasp engines), 19 of which were delivered before the invasion. Of these 19, though, none were operational when the attack came. A number were still in their shipping crates in Oslo harbour, while others stood at the

Kjeller Kjeller is a village located near Lillestrøm in the municipality of Lillestrøm, Norway. It is located 25 kilometers north-east of Oslo. Name The Norse form of the name was probably ''Tjaldir''. This is then the plural of ''tjald'' n 'tent'. ...

aircraft factory, flight ready, but none combat ready. Some of the Kjeller aircraft had not been fitted with machine guns, and those that had been fitted still lacked gun sights. The ship with the last five 75A-6s that were bound for Norway was diverted to the United Kingdom, where they were taken over by

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF). All 19 Norwegian P-36s that were captured by the German invaders were later sold by the German authorities to the

Finnish Air Force The Finnish Air Force (FAF or FiAF; ; ) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions. The Finnish Air ...

, which was to use them to good effect during the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet–Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 ...

. The other order for P-36s was for 36 Hawk 75A-8 (with 1200 hp

Wright R-1820 The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Uni ...

-95 Cyclone 9 engines), none of which were delivered in time for the invasion, but were delivered to " Little Norway" near Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There they were used for training Norwegian pilots until the

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

took over the aircraft and used them under the designation P-36G. Also ordered prior to the invasion were 24 Northrop N-3PB

float plane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

s built in on Norwegian specifications for a patrol bomber. The order was made on 12 March 1940 in an effort to replace the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service's obsolete MF.11 biplane patrol aircraft. None of the type were delivered by 9 April and when they became operational with the 330 (Norwegian) Squadron in May 1941 they were stationed at

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

performing

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapon ...

and

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

escort duties. Norwegian Army Air Service WW2

Escape and exile

The unequal situation led to the rapid defeat of the Norwegian air forces, even though seven Gladiators from the fighter wing () defended Fornebu airport against the attacking German forces with some success—claiming two Bf 110 heavy fighters, two He 111 bombers and one

Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...

transport. lost two Gladiators to ground

strafing Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such a ...

while they were rearming on Fornebu and one in the air, shot down by Future ''Experte'' Helmut Lent, injuring the sergeant pilot. After the withdrawal of allied forces, the Norwegian Government ceased fighting in Norway and evacuated to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

on 10 June 1940. Tiger Moth Blue

Only aircraft of the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service had the range to fly all the way from their last remaining bases in

Northern Norway Northern Norway (, , ; ) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the three northernmost counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in Northern Norway (from south to no ...

to the UK. Included amongst the Norwegian aircraft that reached the British Isles were four German-made Heinkel He 115 seaplane bombers, six of which were bought before the war and two more were captured from the Germans during the Norwegian Campaign. One He 115 also escaped to Finland before the surrender of mainland Norway, as did three M.F. 11s; landing on Lake Salmijärvi in Petsamo. A captured Arado Ar 196 originating from the German

heavy cruiser A heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in calibre, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Treat ...

'' Admiral Hipper'' was also flown to Britain for testing. For the Norwegian Army Air Service aircraft the only option for escape was Finland, where the planes would be interned but at least not fall into the hands of the Germans. In all two Fokker C.V.s and one

de Havilland Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary traine ...

made it across the border and onto Finnish airfields just before the capitulation of mainland Norway. All navy and army aircraft that fled to Finland were pressed into service with the

, while most of the aircrew eventually ended up in "Little Norway". The Army and Navy air services established themselves in Britain under the command of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and ...

. Norwegian air and ground crews operated as part of the British

, in both wholly Norwegian squadrons and also in other squadrons and units such as

RAF Ferry Command RAF Ferry Command was the secretive Royal Air Force command formed on 20 July 1941 to ferry urgently needed aircraft from their place of manufacture in the United States and Canada, to the front line operational units in Britain, Europe, North A ...

and

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...

. In particular, Norwegian personnel operated two squadrons of

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

s: RAF 132 (Norwegian) Wing consisted of No. 331 (Norwegian) Squadron and RAF No. 332 (Norwegian) Squadron. Both planes and running costs were financed by the exiled Norwegian government. In the autumn of 1940, a Norwegian training centre known as "Little Norway" was established next to Toronto Island Airport, Canada. The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) was established by a

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

on 1 November 1944, thereby merging the Army and Navy air forces. No. 331 (Norwegian) Squadron defended London from 1941 and was the highest scoring fighter squadron in South England during the war. Up until 8 May 1945, 335 persons had lost their lives while taking part in the efforts of the RNoAF.

Post-war air force

After the war the Spitfire remained in service with the RNoAF into the fifties. In 1947, the Surveillance and Control Division acquired its first radar system, and around the same time the RNoAF got its first

jet fighter Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the air ...

s in the form of

de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland DH100 Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteo ...

s. In 1949 Norway co-founded

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, and soon afterwards received American aircraft through the MAP (Military Aid Program). The expansion of the Air Force happened at a very rapid pace as the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

progressed. Throughout the Cold War the Norwegian Air Force was only one of two NATO air forces—

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

being the other—with a responsibility for an area with a land border with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, and Norwegian fighter aircraft had on average 500–600 interceptions of Soviet aircraft each year. In 1959, the

Anti-Aircraft Artillery Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

was integrated into the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 1999, Norway participated with six F-16s during the

NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...

21st century RNoAF

In October 2002, a tri-national force of 18 Norwegian, Danish, and Dutch F-16 fighter-bombers, with one Dutch Air Force KC-10A tanker, flew to the Manas Air Base in

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

, to support the NATO ground forces in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

as a part of the

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

. One of the missions was Operation Desert Lion. On 27–28 January, Norwegian F-16s bombed

Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin The Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (; abbreviated HIG), also referred to as Hezb-e-Islami or Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), is an Afghan political party and paramilitary organization, originally founded in 1976 as Hezb-e-Islami and led by Gulbuddin H ...

Fighters in the Adi Ghar Mountains during the beginnings of

Operation Mongoose The Cuban Project, also known as Operation Mongoose, was an extensive campaign of terrorist attacks against civilians, and covert operations, carried out by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in Cuba. It was officially authorized on Novemb ...

. In 2004, four F-16s participated on NATO's Baltic Air Policing operation. Beginning from February 2006, eight Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16s, joined by four Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16s, supported NATO

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...

ground troops mostly in the southern provinces of Afghanistan. The air detachment is known as the 1st Netherlands-Norwegian European Participating Forces Expeditionary Air Wing (1 NLD/NOR EEAW).

2010s

In 2011, a detachment of F-16s were sent to enforce the Libyan no-fly zone. In a statement, Foreign Minister

Jonas Gahr Støre Jonas Gahr Støre (; born 25 August 1960) is a Norwegian politician who has served as the prime minister of Norway since 2021. He has been Leader of the Labour Party since 2014. He served under Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as Minister of ...

condemned the violence against "peaceful protesters in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen", saying the protests "are an expression of the people's desire for more participatory democracy. The authorities must respect fundamental human rights such as political, economic and social rights. It is now vital that all parties do their utmost to foster peaceful dialogue on reforms". On 19 March 2011, the Norwegian government authorized the Royal Norwegian Air Force for deployment in

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. Norway approved six

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

fighters and personnel. The deployment started on 21 March and operated from the Souda Air Base in

Souda Bay Souda Bay () is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akroti ...

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. On 24 March 2011, F-16s from the Royal Norwegian Air Force were assigned to the

United States Africa Command The United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM, U.S. AFRICOM, and AFRICOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for ...

during

Operation Odyssey Dawn Operation Odyssey Dawn was the U.S. code name for the American role in the international military operation in Libya to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 during the initial period of 19–31 March 2011, which continued aft ...

. On 25 March 2011, laser-guided bombs were launched from F-16s of the Royal Norwegian Air Force against Libyan tanks and during the night towards 26 March an airfield was bombed. Forces were also deployed to

Operation Unified Protector Operation Unified Protector was a NATO operation in 2011 enforcing United Nations United Nations Security Council, Security Council United Nations Security Council resolution, resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970, 1970 and ...

on 26 March 2011. By July 2011, the Norwegian F-16's had dropped close to 600 bombs, some 17% of the total bombs dropped at that time. It was Norwegian F-16s that on the night towards 26 April, bombed Gaddafi's headquarter in Tripoli. From September to December 2011, the Air Force contributed personnel and one P-3 Orion to

Operation Ocean Shield Operation Ocean Shield was NATO's contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA), an anti-piracy initiative in the Indian Ocean, Guardafui Channel, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. It follows the earlier Operation All ...

. Operating from the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

, the aircraft searched for pirates in the Somali Basin. In April 2016 the life of a patient, at the hospital in Bodø, was saved when necessary medical equipment was ferried halfway across Norway by an Air Force F-16 jet from

Værnes Air Station Værnes Air Station (/ˈvɛəɹnɛs/) () is an Military airbase, air station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force located in Stjørdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is co-located with Trondheim Airport, Værnes, which is owned and oper ...

, in a flight that took 25 minutes. On 29 March 2017, Norway signed a contract for five P-8As, to be delivered between 2022 and 2023. On 3 November 2017, RNoAF took delivery of the first F-35A Lightning II.

2020s

In March 2021, RNoAF participated in

Icelandic Air Policing Icelandic Air Policing is a NATO operation conducted to patrol Iceland's airspace. As Iceland does not have an air force, in 2006 it requested that its NATO allies periodically deploy fighter aircraft to Keflavik Air Base to provide protection ...

with four F-35A Lightning II and 130 military personnel. On 6 January 2022, the F-35 officially took over the

Quick Reaction Alert Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) is state of Combat readiness, readiness and ''modus operandi'' of Anti-aircraft warfare, air defence maintained at all hours of the day by NATO air forces. The United States usually refers to Quick Reaction Alert as 'Ai ...

mission, ending the F-16 fleet’s 42 year-long mission and making Norway the first country in the world to field a fighter fleet entirely composed of fifth-generation fighters. In December 2021, Romania expressed their interest to purchase 32 F-16As. The first three aircraft were delivered in November 2023. In June 2022, Norway terminated a contract to acquire 14

NH90 The NHIndustries NH90 is a European medium-sized, twin-engine, multirole military helicopter. It was the first production helicopter to feature entirely fly-by-wire flight controls.Perry, Dominic"Rotor club: Our top 10 most influential helico ...

helicopters, claiming that the supplier could not deliver and sustain the availability of combat capable aircraft that Norway required. All NH90 flight operations are discontinued, all acquired aircraft are planned to be returned to the manufacturer, and in due course Norway intends to acquire a new aircraft. On April 1 2025, RNoAF received its final 2 F-35A's, completing its procurement of 52 aircraft.

Plans

On 14 March 2023, RNoAF announced a contract for six SH-60 Seahawk as a replacement for the

. The three first helicopters will be delivered in 2025. In April 2024 the Strategic Defence Plan announced the intention to acquire one extra C-130J Super Hercules and undisclosed number of helicopters to support the Army and special force. The plan also proposes increasing NASAMS's batteries to 6. As well as increasing the Army's air defence to 2 batteries. 2 batteries of layered air defences with ballistic capacity will also be introduced (Patriot or new NASAMS with long-range missiles)

Organization

The RNoAF is organized in five Air Wings. These are divided into a total of one Control and Reporting Centre, nine flying squadrons as well as two ground based air defence units. The former distinctiontion between a Main Air Station () and an Air Station () was replaced by a new distinction between an Air Force Station () and an Air Force Base (). * 131 Air Wing, in Sørreisa Municipality ** Control and Reporting Centre Sørreisa, reports to

's Integrated Air Defence System CAOC Uedem in Germany *** Radar Station Njunis, with AT-31SL/N *** Radar Station Senja, with RAT-31SL/N *** Radar Station

Honningsvåg Honningsvåg is the northernmost cities and towns, northernmost city/town in mainland Norway. It is located in Nordkapp Municipality in Finnmark county. Honningsvåg was declared a city in 1996, despite its small population. The town has a po ...

, with RAT-31SL/N *** Radar Station Vestvågøy, with SINDRE I *** Radar Station Vågsøy, with SINDRE I *** Radar Station Skykula, with SINDRE I * 132 Air Wing (), HQ at Ørland Air Station ** Ørland Air Station () *** 331 Squadron (), with F-35A Lightning II *** 332 Squadron (), with F-35A Lightning II *** Testing, Training and Tactics Development Squadron (), with F-35A Lightning II *** Aircraft Maintenance Group Ørland () *** Air Defence Battalion NASAMS III () *** Base Defence Squadron () *** Base Operations Group Ørland () *** Air Force Logistical Base () ***

Airborne Early Warning Force – Forward Operating Location, for E-3A Sentry * 133 Air Wing, HQ at Evenes Air Station ** Evenes Air Station () - The air station also provides a forward deployment location for the F-35A fighters of the 132nd Air Wing. The expansion of Evenes Air Station and its increased importance will see the base field its own air defence unit with NASAMS III, independent from the one in Ørland and its own base defence squadron. When Evenes expands to its planned capability, the base will have the following composition: *** Evenes Staff Unit () *** 333 Squadron (''333 skvadron''), with 5

P-8A Poseidon The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security. It was developed for the United States Navy as a derivative of the civilian Boeing 737 Next Generati ...

aircraft in the ASW, maritime patrol,

ELINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly u ...

and EW roles. *** Aircraft Maintenance Squadron () *** Air Defence Battery () (separate from the Air Defence Battalion at Ørland air base) *** Base Defence Squadron () *** Base Operations Squadron () *** Base taffDepartment() *** In addition to the strictly Air Force units Evenes Air Station will also house small contingents (personnel numbers in brackets) of the

Norwegian Cyber Defence Force The Norwegian Cyber Defence Force () is a branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for military communications and defensive cyberwarfare in Norway. The force employs 1,500 people located at more than 60 locations. The main base is at J� ...

(''CYFOR'') (20), Norwegian Armed Forces Logistics Organisation (''FLO'') (30) and the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency () (20) for a total planned personnel of 651 people at the base. ** Andøya Station Group () at Andøya Air Force Base () * 134 Air Wing, at Rygge Air Station ** Rygge Air Station () *** 339 Special Operations Aviation Squadron (), with Bell 412 SP (Special forces support) *** Special Operations Air Task Group ** Gardermoen Station Group () at Air Force Base Gardermoen (), the military section of Oslo - Gardermoen IAP (The 135th Air Wing was disbanded in August 2018 and absorbed into the 134th Air Wing.) *** 335 Squadron (), with C-130J-30 Super Hercules *** 717 Squadron (), with DA-20 for electronic warfare. *** Armed Forces Center for Electronic Warfare ( (''FEKS'')) * Maritime Helicopter Wing (), HQ at Bardufoss Air Station ** Bardufoss Air Station () *** 337 Squadron (), also known as the Coast Guard Squadron (), as the helicopters operate in support of the Norwegian Coast Guard *** Air Force Flying School (), with MFI-17 Supporter *** Aircraft Maintenance Squadron () *** Base Operations Squadron () 053 AMD Falcon 20 ECM of FEKS 717 Skv

** Air Force Base Haakonsvern () (air force part of the Haakonsvern Naval Base () *** 334 Squadron (), also known as the Frigate elicopterSquadron (), as the helicopters operate on board the Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates ** Station Group Banak (), at Lakselv Airport * Rescue Helicopter Service (), HQ at Stavanger - Sola Air Station - In Norway air rescue is a domain of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (''Justis- og beredskapsdepartementet''), which also finances these activities, including the funding for the acquisition of helicopters

AW101 The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requiremen ...

replacement are owned by the justice ministry). The Rescue Helicopter Service is the operational component, organised, manned and operated by the Air Force on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. Rescue helicopters maintain 15 minute readiness. ** 330 Squadron (),

Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

with Sea King and phasing in

AgustaWestland AW101 The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requiremen ...

helicopters, at

Sola Air Station Sola Air Station () is a base for the Royal Norwegian Air Force. It is located in Sola municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Rescue Helicopter Service is stationed at Sola along with Helicopter Squadron 330. Also located at Sola is Stavang ...

** Detachment Banak () at Banak Air Force Base ** Detachment Bodø (), at Bodø Air Force Base ** Detachment Ørland () Ørland Air Station ** Detachment Rygge () ( Rygge Air Station ** Detachment Florø () at Florø Airport (Operated by CHC Helikopter Service since 2017, while AW101 are being phased in). * Air force Schools () ** Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy, in

** Air Force Air Operational Training and Certification Center (), formerly Air Force Air Tactical School (), at Rygge ** Air Force Flight Training School (), at Bardufoss, listed above under the Bardufoss Air Station, Maritime Helicopter Wing entry. ** Air Defence Tactical School (), at Ørland ** Air Force Base Defence Tactical School (), at Værnes ** Air Force Control and Reporting School (), at Sørreisa ** Air Force Flight Technical School (), at Kjevik ** Air Force Specialists School (), at Kjevik ** Air Warfare School (), at Trondheim. In 2018 the Air Warfare School (Air Force Officer School) became part of the Armed Forces Academy () and thus no longer part of the Air Force. Listed above as the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy.

Aircraft

Current inventory

NOTE: Norway is participating in three NATO programs giving them access to an

Airbus A330 MRTT The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is a European aerial refueling and military transport aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330. A total of 15 countries have placed firm orders for approximately 82 aircraft, of which 64 had ...

, 3 C-17’s and 5 RQ-4D Phoenixs.

Retired

Previous aircraft flown included the

Dassault Falcon 20 The Dassault Falcon 20 is a French business jet developed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. The first business jet developed by the firm, it became the first of a family of business jets to be produced under the same name; of these, both t ...

, F-16 Fighting Falcon, North American F-86K, Republic F-84G, F-104 Starfighter,

Northrop F-5 The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models: the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants, and th ...

Lockheed T-33 The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

, Fairchild PT-26, Catalina PB5Y-A,

Douglas C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for troo ...

, DHC-3 Otter,

Noorduyn Norseman The Noorduyn Norseman, also known as the C-64 Norseman, is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Distinctive stubby landing gear protrusions from the lower fuselage make it easily recognizable. Intro ...

Cessna O-1 The Cessna O-1 Bird Dog is a Liaison aircraft, liaison and observation aircraft that first flew on December 14, 1949, and entered service in 1950 as the L-19 in the Korean War. It went to serve in many branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, was no ...

, Bell UH-1B, Bell 47G, P-3 Orion,

NHIndustries NH90 The NHIndustries NH90 is a European medium-sized, twin-engine, multirole military helicopter. It was the first production helicopter to feature entirely fly-by-wire flight controls.Perry, Dominic"Rotor club: Our top 10 most influential helicop ...

and the

Westland Sea King The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome eng ...

and

Westland Lynx The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to t ...

helicopters.

Satellites

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

Other ranks

The rank insignia of

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

s and

enlisted personnel An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States ...

References

Bibliography

External links

Norwegian Defence 2005
– Facts from the Ministry of Defence
RNoAF Equipment Facts

History of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (Norwegian)

RNoAF English pages
{{Authority control Military units and formations established in 1944 1944 establishments in Norway

History

Conception

World War II

Build-up for World War II

Escape and exile

Post-war air force

21st century RNoAF

2010s

2020s

Plans

Organization

Aircraft

Current inventory

Retired

Satellites

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

Other ranks

See also

References

Bibliography

External links