Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection
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Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection (''Forsvarets flysamling Gardermoen'') is a military aviation museum located at
Gardermoen Oslo Airport () , alternatively referred to as Oslo Gardermoen Airport or simply Gardermoen, is an international airport serving Oslo, the capital and most populous city of Norway. The airport is the second largest in Scandinavia and the Nordi ...
, north of
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
in
Akershus county Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akershu ...
,
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 ...
. The founding of the Norwegian Aviation Historical Society in 1967, gave the first boost to the idea of preserving aircraft in Norway. The Collection's
Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to restrictions placed on Germany a ...
and
Northrop N-3PB The Northrop N-3PB Nomad was a single-engined American floatplane of the 1940s. Northrop developed the N-3PB as an export model based on the earlier Northrop A-17 design. A total of 24 were purchased by Norway, but were not delivered until a ...
are among the aircraft traced, recovered and restored at the instigation of the NAHS. From the latter part of the 1970s onwards, a considerable number of historical aircraft were assembled in an old ex-Luftwaffe hangar at Gardermoen and from the mid-1980s the public were admitted to the hangar during summer. Most of the activities were - and still are - based on voluntary effort. The establishment of the
Norwegian Aviation Museum The Norwegian Aviation Museum () was opened by King Harald V on May 15, 1994. It is the Norwegian national museum of aviation and also the largest aviation museum in the Nordic countries, covering around . Situated in the town of Bodø, in Bodø ...
in Bodø in 1992 created in intense debate in the country, especially since it was the original intention to transfer all objects at Gardermoen to Bodø. After some years a compromise was found, and in 1997 funds were allocated for a new building at Gardermoen to house a military aviation museum. The new building was inaugurated in May 2000. From 1 January 2015 the collection is part of the Norwegian Air Force Museum/Armed Forces Museums.


List of aircraft on display

* Auster (Taylorcraft) J/1 Autocrat, representing type of aircraft used by No. 132 (Norwegian) Wing - numbering Nos 331 and 331 Squadrons RAF Fighter Command - in the UK and on the Continent during World War II. The museum's example is ex-civil composite. * Bell 47 D-1, in operational use by the Royal Norwegian Air Force from 1953 to 1970. * Bell UH-1B, in operational use by the RNoAF from 1963 to 1990. *
Canadair CF-104 Starfighter The Canadair CF-104 Starfighter (CF-111, CL-90) is a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence. It was primarily used as a ground attack aircraft, despite being des ...
. Used by No. 334 Squadron Royal Norwegian Air Force from 1973 to 1982. * Cessna O-1A Birddog, the museum's example was stationed at Gardermoen and Torp. Type was in Norwegian service from 1960 to 1992. * de Havilland Vampire F.3, in use by the RNoAF from 1948 to 1955. The museum's aircraft is Norway's very first jet fighter. *
de Havilland Vampire T.55 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 ...
, in use by the RNoAF from 1951 to 1955. The aircraft displayed is a converted FB.50 single-seater donated by Sweden. *
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada in the mid-1960s and still in production today. Built by De Havilland Canada from 1965 to 1988, Viking ...
. Light transport aircraft in Norwegian service from 1967 to 31 December 2000. The museum's aircraft was also used during Penguin missile tests in the Caribbean in 1984. *DFS 108-14 Schulgleiter S.G.38. Representing glider used for selection of potential aircrew among Norwegian refugees in neutral Sweden during the last part of World War II. The museum's aircraft is ex-civil and still carries civil markings. *
Douglas C-47A 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 troop ...
, transport aircraft used by the RNoAF from 1950 to 1974. * Fairchild Cornell M-62, This aircraft came in three versions: PT-19, PT-23 and PT-26. PT-19 and PT-26 were used by the Norwegians, first at the training base
Little Norway Little Norway (), officially (FTL, "Air Force Training Camp"), was a Norwegian Army Air Service/Royal Norwegian Air Force training camp in southern Ontario during the Second World War. Origins When Nazi Germany attacked Norway on 9 April 1940, ...
in Canada from August 1940 and later in Norway until 1957. The museum's PT-19 is one of the first batch of six such trainers entering service in August 1940. * Farman F.46, trainer in use by the Army Air Force from 1921 to 1925. *
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...
(F-16AM) * Heinkel He 111P-2 Built in 1938, served with Luftwaffe ''Kampfgeschwader'' 4 after invasion of Norway in April 1940 and made emergency landing at
Digervarden Digervarden is a mountain in Lesja Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The tall mountain lies inside Reinheimen National Park, about south of the village of Lesjaskog. The mountain Mehøi lies about northeast and the mountain Grønhà ...
after combat with two
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
Blackburn Skua The Blackburn B-24 Skua was a carrier-based low-wing, two-seater, single-radial engine aircraft by the British aviation company Blackburn Aircraft. It was the first Royal Navy carrier-borne all-metal cantilever monoplane aircraft, as well as th ...
s on 26 April 1940. Recovered in 1976 and later restored at Gardermoen. * Interstate S.1A Cadet. Used at Little Norway during World War II and came to Norway in 1945. Wreck donated to NAHS in 1970 and later restored by society members. * Junkers Ju 52/3m-g4e. One of 13 used for carrying a battery of mountain artillery to German forces in the Narvik area on 13 April 1940. Landed on the frozen lake
Hartvikvatnet or is a lake in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The lake is located about east of the village of Bjerkvik and just less than with the border with Sweden. The Elvegårdsmoen military camp lies just west of the lake. In Apri ...
and later sank through the ice. Recovered in 1983 and restored at Gardermoen. * Junkers Ju 88C-2. Heavy German fighter. Made emergency landing at Nonsfjellet in May 1940. Recovered in 1990 and is being used for spares in the restoration of Ju 88A-1. *Junkers Ju 88A-1. German bomber. Served with ''Kampfgeschwader'' 30 during the invasion of Norway in April 1940, landed on the frozen lake
Jonsvatnet Jonsvatnet is a lake in Trøndelag county, Norway. Most of the lake is in the eastern part of Trondheim Municipality, with a very small part of the shoreline belonging to Malvik Municipality. The lake is the main source for drinking water for the ...
near Trondheim on 20 April 1940. Later sank and was recovered in 2004. Under long-term restoration in the museum's workshop. *Kjeller PK X-1, experimental helicopter constructed by Paul Kjølseth at
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'. ...
in 1955. * Lockheed C-60A Lodestar. Type of transport used on the 'Stockholm run' between Leuchars in Scotland and Bromma near Stockholm in neutral Sweden during World War II. The museum's aircraft was not used on the route but is from the same production batch as Norwegian aircraft. *
Lockheed C-130H Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designe ...
. In service with No 335 Squadron RNoAF from 1969 to 2008, when it was replaced by the C-130J. * Lockheed TF-104G Starfighter. In service with No 331 Squadron from 1975 to 1981 and then No 334 Squadron to 1982. * Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star used by the RNoAF from 1953 to 1968. *MBB Bo 105. Under restoration. *
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 ...
Mk.IV. Light transport in service from 1953 to 1954. *
North American F-86F Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
. Type in service from 1957 to 1966. The museum's aircraft saw service with No 332 Squadron from 1961 to 1962 and was later used as an instructional airframe. *North American F-86 K Sabre. Single seat all weather fighter in RNoAF service 1955-1967 *
Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter 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 ...
. All three versions used by the RNoAF from 1966 onwards are on display; F-5A fighter, F-5B trainer (the museum's example has been converted for electronic countermeasures operations) and RF-5A(G) photo-reconnaissance fighter. *
Northrop N-3PB The Northrop N-3PB Nomad was a single-engined American floatplane of the 1940s. Northrop developed the N-3PB as an export model based on the earlier Northrop A-17 design. A total of 24 were purchased by Norway, but were not delivered until a ...
. This unique aircraft served with No 330 squadron in Iceland from 1941 to 1943. In April 1943 it encountered bad weather on a flight from Budareyri to
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 ...
and crashed in the river
Þjórsá Þjórsá () is Iceland's longest river at . It is in the south of the island. Þjórsá is a glacier river and has its source on the glacier Hofsjökull. It flows out through narrow gorges in the highlands of Iceland. Further downstream, a ...
. Recovered in 1979 and restored by Northrop Inc in
Hawthorne, California Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area commonly known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay. As of the 2020 United States cens ...
the following year. * Piper L-18C Super Cub. Air OP aircraft in Norwegian use from 1955 to 1992. * Republic F-84G Thunderjet. In RNoAF service from 1951 to 1960. The museum's aircraft was used by No 331 Squadron from 1954 and from 1958 to 1960 by No 338 Squadron. *
Republic RF-84F Thunderflash The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak is an American swept-wing turbojet-powered fighter-bomber. The RF-84F Thunderflash is variant of the F-84F that was designed for photo reconnaissance. The design was originally intended to be a relatively simple ...
. In service with No 717 Squadron from 1956 to 1969. * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2e. The museum's aircraft arrived Norway in 1917 and served with the Army Air Force until 1924. *
Rumpler Taube The Etrich ''Taube'', also known by the names of the various later manufacturers who built versions of the type, such as the Rumpler ''Taube'', was a pre-World War I monoplane aircraft. It was the first military aeroplane to be mass-produced in ...
''Start''. Norway's first combat aircraft, purchased by private means in May 1912. On 1 June 1912 Lieutenant Hans Fleischer Dons of the Royal Norwegian Navy carried out the first flight by a Norwegian in a Norwegian aircraft in Norway with this Taube. * SAAB 91B-2 Safir. Type used for training from 1956 to 1982. * Saab JA 37 Viggen. Front fuselage only. Visitors invited to try out cockpit. *
Sikorsky H-19D-4 Chickasaw The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (company model number S-55) is a multi-purpose piston-engined helicopter that was used by the United States Army and United States Air Force. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwind ...
. In service from 1958 to 1967. * Supermarine Spitfire PR XI. This version of the Spitfire was used by the RNoAF from 1947 to 25 March 1954, when the last flight by a Spitfire in Norwegian service was carried out by Second Lieutenant Amund Klepp in this aircraft. *
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 ...
Mk. 86 *
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 ...
Mk.43 * The museum also houses an extensive collection of anti-aircraft weapons and equipment, including a number of guns as well as examples of NIKE Hercules and NIKE Ajax missiles. A full-scale fibreglass Spitfire IX replica hangs under the ceiling.


Aircraft under restoration

* Ju-88A-1 Wrk No 088119, U4+TK recovered from lake Jonsvatnet in 2004


See also

*
List of aerospace museums This is a list of aviation museums and museums that contain significant aerospace-related exhibits throughout the world. The aviation museums are listed alphabetically by country and their article name. Afghanistan * OMAR Mine Museum, Kabul - inc ...


References


External links


Official site
{{authority control Aerospace museums in Norway Museums in Akershus A A Oslo Airport, Gardermoen