Royal Norwegian Air Force

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Royal Norwegian Air Force
Founded	10 November 1944
Country	Norway
Part of	Norwegian Defence Force
Motto	For King, People and Fatherland
Commanders
Current commander	Major General Stein Erik Nodeland (1 October 2004 - present)[1]
Ceremonial chief	Harald V of Norway
Insignia
Roundels
Insignia
Aircraft flown
Attack	Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon
Bomber	Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon
Electronic warfare	Dassault Falcon 20
Fighter	Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon
Patrol	Lockheed P-3 Orion
Trainer	SAAB Safari
Transport	Westland Sea King, Westland Lynx, Bell 412, NH-90, C-130 Hercules

The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) (Norwegian: Luftforsvaret) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian armed forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peace force is approximately 1,430 employees (officers, enlisted staff and civilians). Six hundred personnel are also serving their one-year national service in the Air Force. After mobilization the RNoAF would consist of approximately 5,500 personnel.

The infrastructure of the RNoAF includes seven airbases (at Andøya, Bardufoss, Bodø, Gardermoen, Rygge, Sola and Ørland), two control and reporting centres (at Sørreisa and Mågerø) and two training centres (at Kjevik, Kristiansand, and at Persaunet, Trondheim).

Contents 1 History 1.1 Pre-war 1.2 Build-up for WWII 1.3 World War II 1.4 Post-war air force 1.5 21st Century RNoAF 2 Future plans 3 Organisation 4 Aircraft inventory 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 Footnotes 8 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-war

Military flights started on 31 May 1912. The first plane, HNoMS Start, was bought with money donated by the public and piloted by an officer from the submarine HNoMS Kobben (A-1).^[2] Up 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-origined Fokker C.V.

Military of Norway

Components
Army Navy (Coast Guard) Air Force Home Guard
Ranks
Norwegian military ranks
Bugle calls
Bugle calls of the Norwegian Army
Armed Forces equipment
Army equipment Norwegian naval ships Norwegian military aircraft

[edit] Build-up for WWII

Before 1944 the Air Force were divided into the Norwegian Army Air Service (Hærens Flyvevaaben) and the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service (Marinens Flyvevaaben). In the late 30s, as war seemed imminent, more modern aircraft was bought from abroad, including twelve Gloster Gladiator fighters from the UK, and six Heinkel He 115s from Germany. Considerable orders for aircraft were placed with U.S. 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 monoplane fighters. The first was for 24 Hawk 75A-6 (with 1200 hp Pratt & Whitney 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 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 five 75A-6s that were still in the US were sent to the Little Norway training base of the exiled Royal Norwegian Air Force near Toronto. All 19 Norwegian P-36s that were captured by the German invaders were later sold by the German authorities to the Finnish Air Force, which was to use them to good effect during the Continuation War.

The other order for P-36s was for 36 Hawk 75A-8 (with 1200 hp Wright R-1820-95 Cyclone 9 engines), none of which were delivered in time for the invasion. The 30 completed machines were, like the 75A-6s, diverted to Little Norway. There they were used for training Norwegian pilots until the USAAF took over the aircraft and used them under the designation P36G

Also ordered prior to the invasion were 24 Northrop N-3PB float planes built in on Norwegian specifications for a patrol bomber. The order was made on March 12, 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, Iceland performing anti-submarine and convoy escort duties.

[edit] World War II

The unequal situation led to the rapid defeat of the Norwegian air forces, even though seven Gladiators from Jagevingen (the fighter wing) defended Fornebu airport against the attacking German forces with some success - claiming two Me 110 heavy fighters, two He 111 bombers and one Junkers Ju 52 transport. Jagevingen lost two Gladiators to ground strafing 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 gave up fighting in Norway and evacuated to the United Kingdom on 10 June 1940.

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 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 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 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 Finnish Air Force.^[3]

The Army and Navy air services established themselves in Britain under the command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Norwegian air and ground crews operated as part of the British Royal Air Force, in both wholly Norwegian squadrons and also in other squadrons and units such as RAF Ferry Command and RAF Bomber Command. In particular, Norwegian personnel operated two squadrons of Supermarine Spitfires: 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 center known as "Little Norway" was established in RCAF Station Borden outside of Toronto, Canada.

The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) was established by a royal decree on November 1, 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 May 8, 1945, 335 persons had lost their lives while taking part in the efforts of the RNoAF.

[edit] 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 fighters in the form of De Havilland Vampires.

In 1949 Norway co-founded NATO, 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 progressed. Throughout the Cold War the Norwegian Air Force was only one of two NATO air forces — Turkey being the other — with a responsibility for an area with a land border with the Soviet Union, and Norwegian fighter aircraft had on average 500-600 interceptions of Soviet aircraft each year.^[4]

In 1959, the Anti-Aircraft Artillery was integrated into the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

[edit] 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, to support the NATO ground forces in Afghanistan as a part of the Operation Enduring Freedom.

In 2004, four F-16s participated on NATO's Baltic Air Policing operation.

Since February, 2006, eight Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16s, joined by four Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16s, have been supporting NATO International Security Assistance Force ground troops mostly in the southern provinces of Afghanistan. The air detachment is know as the 1st Netherlands-Norwegian European Participating Forces Expeditionary Air Wing (1 NLD/NOR EEAW).^[5]

[edit] Future plans

The RNoAF will conduct several investments in the coming years. First the European helicopter NH-90 will be introduced to replace the Lynx helicopters as a ship-borne helicopter, but the Air Force also have an option of buying an additional 15 Search and rescue helicopters to replace its aging Sea King helicopters. During a five-year period the Government will also decide upon the future of the transport aircraft fleet, and also decide which new fighter-bomber to buy in 2010. The main fighter aircraft in the competition seem to be the Anglo-American made Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and the Swedish Saab-made JAS 39 Gripen. On 20 November 2008, the prime minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg announced that the F-35 was the only fighter fulfilling all the Norwegian requirements and thus the preferred choice. Stoltenberg stated that cooperation with the Nordic countries on defence and security would continue independently of the F-35 purchase.^[6]

[edit] Organisation

The RNoAF is organized in ten Air Wings. These are divided into a total of two Control and Reporting Centres, nine flying squadrons as well as two anti aircraft units.

Control and Reporting Centre Mågerø

• 130 Air Wing^[7]
  • Radar Head Gråkallen
  • Radar Head Vågsøy
  • Radar Head Skykula
  • Radar Head Kongsvinger

Control and Reporting Centre Sørreisa

• 131 Air Wing^[8]
  • Radar Head Vardø
  • Radar Head Iskuras
  • Radar Head Honningsvåg
  • Radar Head Kautokeino (Phased out/replaced by RH Njunis)
  • Radar Head Njunis
  • Radar Head Senja
  • Radar Head Vestvågøy

Bodø Main Air Station

• 132. Air Wing
  • Squadron 331 (F-16A MLU)
  • Squadron 332 (F-16A MLU)
  • GBAD Battalion (NASAMS and NASAMS 2 batteries)
  • Squadron 330 (Detachment) (Sea King, rescue)
• Station Group Banak at Banak Air Station (Lakselv Airport)
  • Squadron 330 (Detachment) (Sea King, rescue)

Ørland Main Air Station

• 138. Air Wing
  • Squadron 338 (F-16A MLU, NRF - NATO Reaction Force)
  • GBAD Battalion (NASAMS 2 batteries)
  • Mobile Base-set (IRF support)
• Squadron 330 (Detachment) (Sea King, rescue)
• NATO Airborne Early Warning Force - Forward Operating Location (E-3A Sentry)

Andøya Air Station

• 133. Air Wing
  • Squadron 333 (P-3C, P-3N, ASW/multirole)

Bardufoss Air Station

• 139. Air Wing
  • Squadron 337 (Lynx/NH-90, Coast Guard)
  • Squadron 339 (Bell 412 SP, transport)
  • Squadron 718 (UAV/UACV)
  • Royal Norwegian Air Force Flight Training School (Saab Safari, flight training)

Gardermoen Air Station

• 135. Air Wing
  • Squadron 335 (C-130J, transport)

Rygge Air Station

• 137. Air Wing
  • Squadron 717 (DA-20, electronic warfare)
  • Squadron 720 (Bell 412 SP, special forces transport)
  • Squadron 330 (Detachment) (Sea King, rescue)
  • Squadron 336 (not part of the operational force) (Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter, missile testing)

Sola Air Station

• 134. Air Wing
  • Squadron 334 (NH-90, frigate force)
  • Squadron 330 (command) (Sea King, rescue)

Norwegian Air Force Academy (Trondheim)

[edit] Aircraft inventory

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service	Notes
Bell 412	United States	Utility helicopter	412SP	18	Used by the army.[9] Of total 19 aircraft delivered, 18 were assembled by the Norwegian company Helikopter Service
Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter	Canada	Fighter-bomber	CF-5A/B	0 (15 on ground)	Three aircrafts only used for test flights (weapon evaluation of Naval Strike Missile, 2003-2005). Currently for sale. [10]
Dassault Falcon 20	France	Electronic warfare VIP	20ECM 20C-5	2 1	[11]
Lockheed C-130 Hercules	United States	Transport	C-130J-30	2	C-130Hs have been taken out of service, and the RNoAF waits for the new C-130J-30 to arrive. The old C-130Hs were named Odin, Tor, Frøy, Balder, Ty and Brage.[12] To be replaced by four C-130Js by 2010, starting 2008.[13] The first of the new C-130Js was delivered to the RNoAF on 25 November 2008 and was named Frigg by Norwegian Minister of Defence Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen.[14] Idunn, the second aircraft, landed at Gardermoen Air Station on 10 June 2009.[15][16]
Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon	United States	Fighter	F-16AM F-16BM	47 10	Original batch of 72 license-built by Fokker. All have received a mid-life update[17]
Lockheed P-3 Orion	United States	Maritime surveillance	P-3C UIP P-3N	4 2	[18]
NHI NH90	European Union	Utility helicopter	NH-90 NFH	0	Total of 14 to be delivered.[10]
Saab Safari	Sweden	Basic training	Safari	16	[19]
Westland Lynx	United Kingdom	SAR helicopter	Lynx Mk.86	6	Used by the Coast Guard. To be replaced by NH90.
Westland Sea King	United Kingdom	SAR helicopter	Sea King Mk.43	12	Pure search and rescue, no military capabilities.

[edit] Gallery

The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service' main aircraft in 1940 - the Høver M.F. 11.	The M.F. 11's intended replacement - the Heinkel He 115N.	Curtis P-36 Hawk.	Norwegian Army Air Service Fokker CV-D in 1990.
de Havilland Tiger Moth in Norwegian markings 24 June 2001.	Gloster Gladiator 423 in 1938-1940.	Gloster Gladiator in Norwegian colours on the ground in England 10 July 2005.	One of the four Norwegian Caproni Ca.310s c. 1939.
Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service Northrop N-3PB in flight over the North Atlantic Ocean.	Royal Norwegian Air Force F-5A Freedom Fighter aircraft flying in close formation with a New Jersey Air National Guard F-4 Phantom II aircraft during an exercise in 1982.	Norwegian Bell 412 SP.	F-16A #672 carrying four AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders. The Norwegian F-16s were the first to be equipped with drogue parachutes (located in the rectangular extension at the base of the tail fin).

[edit] See also

• List of air forces
• List of military aircraft of Norway
• List of F-104 Starfighter operators

[edit] Footnotes

This article's citation style may be unclear. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.

[edit] External links

• Norwegian Defense 2005 - Facts from the Ministry of Defense
• History of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (Norwegian)
• Norwegian Aviation Museum
• ML407 - The Norwegian Story
• Norwegian Air Force - Air Show in Kristiansand
• www.mil.no English pages

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