First 3 F-35 fighter jets to arrive in Norway this week: report

Norway will get its first three F-35 Lightning II fighter jets on Nov. 2, as long as the weather conditions allows the flying, public broadcaster NRK reported Monday.



The three airplanes will be flown by US pilots, the report said.



According to Major General Morten Klever, director of the combat aircraft program, the fighter jets are to land on the Orland Main Air Station at about two o'clock on Thursday and the official ceremony for the planes is planned for Nov. 10.



The building for F-35 maintenance and an extended runway are ready for the first flight landing. In addition, the projects include the construction of camps for crew and officers and upgrades of infrastructure.



The construction work on Orland air base will last until 2020 and has cost over 3.4 billion kroner (416 million US dollars). Additional 6.4 billion kroner will be invested in the development of the combat aircraft base, NRK wrote.



"As a professional property actor we can say that the work on developing the Orland air station and combat aircraft base has meant a lot for the Defence Estates Agency as an organization," said Thorbjorn Thoresen, director of the agency.



"We have developed by working on the task, and what we learn we take with us in the further work to build defense capabilities," he said.



Norway is one of the international partner countries participating in the F-35 program. Norwegian defense officials have said the Nordic country is committed to the procurement of up to 52 F-35s. (1 US dollar = 8.16 kroner)

