Norway is increasing the number of Lockheed F-16 fighter jets it intends to provide Ukraine.
The stalwart NATO member on Europe’s northern edge is now pledging six of the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s (RNoAF) mothballed F-16As, up from an earlier commitment of two jets.
Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store confirmed the latest figure on 10 July, amid a three-day summit of NATO leaders in Washington, DC.
At that gathering, officials from Denmark and the Netherlands confirmed F-16s donated from their air forces would be flying over Ukraine before the end of the summer.
Both countries are in the process of acquiring the Lockheed Martin F-35A, with the Netherlands already flying 39 jets and Denmark currently operating 10, according to Cirium. Norway already operates 40 of the stealth fighters.
The RNoAF inventory includes 20 F-16As held in storage, according to Cirium data, with an average aircraft age of 41 years old. The fighters were retired from service in 2022, with the intent to sell them to a third party.
Romania has already purchased 32 of the US-built fighters from Norway.
Norway’s Defence Material Agency began working last year to restore two of the mothballed jets to flight status, for eventual service with Ukraine.
Those aircraft were delivered to Denmark in January, where Ukrainian pilots and maintenance crew were training on the single-engined type.
