The acquisition of the four trainers is in line with the government's earlier decision and with the information given to Parliament in this year's budget bill.

The aircraft will be delivered in 2016 and will be used for education and training of Norwegian fighter pilots fighting in the U.S. The main delivery of actual combat aircraft is scheduled from 2018.

“Acquisition of the four planes is an important step to maintain a satisfactory operational combat aircraft capacity in the transition phase between the F-16 and F-35," says Defense Minister Grete Faremo.

The cost outlook for Norway's total procurement of F-35 fighter jets is little changed, despite restructuring costs and delays in the U.S. F-35 development program. As part of the cost analysis for the procurement of the four F-35 training aircraft, the government also carried out an update of the cost picture for the entire acquisition program.

Compared with the cost picture from 2008, when Parliament was informed of the combat aircraft proposition (Proposition. No. 36 (2008-2009)), the Defense Ministry's updated cost analysis that the total acquisition cost is increased by one billion.

This is an increase of 2.5 percent, primarily due to the fact that U.S. authorities have moved a portion of their aircraft deliveries later in the production than originally planned (see separate article).

Fact Box: Training Aircraft: Why?

• The aircraft will be used for education and training of Norwegian combat pilots in the U.S.
• Their deliveries are due to begin in 2016.
• The delivery of combat aircraft is scheduled from 2018.
• Acquisition of the four training aircraft will facilitate maintaining a satisfactory operational combat aircraft capacity in the transition phase between the F-16 and F-35.

Cost
Approximate cost for the four training aircraft, including logistical support, operations in the early years, and error margin, is estimated at 4.8 billion.

FANAF 2010-2017 does not, for various reasons, provide information about projects that cannot be made public. This may include, for example, plans that are covered by the Norwegian Security Act and are therefore kept from public access.

The document features on the Armed Forces’ section of this website http://www.regjeringen.no as an electronic document and will not be published in paper format.

In the Report to the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament) no. 38 (2006-2007) the Norwegian Armed Forces and the manufacturing industries – strategic partners, the government’s strategy for strengthening the industrial political aspects of the Norwegian Armed Forces materiel investments was outlined. Based on the needs of the Armed Forces, the strategy for the industrial political aspects of the Armed Forces’ acquisitions shall contribute to increased national wealth creation and to the development of a competitive industry, and also provide the Armed Forces with the necessary access to expertise, materiel and services. Furthermore, the strategic collaboration between the Armed Forces, research and development environments and industry shall be strengthened. The collaboration will include national and international projects.

One of the main elements in the strategy is early dialogue between the parties, including communication of short-term and long-term materiel needs. In the Report to the Storting it is stated, among other things, that the MoD will work towards ensuring “… that the Armed Forces and the manufacturing industries share information about industrial options for the Armed Forces’ planned acquisitions at the earliest possible juncture”. It is further stated that the collaboration between the Armed Forces and the manufacturing industries shall “… be based on the existing materiel plans…”.

A central feature of the materiel planning is the annual preparation of long-term materiel plans (LTMP). The plan outlines priorities and focus areas related to the Defence Sector’s materiel investments and has an eight-year time frame. Based on the LTMP the MoD now publishes an overview of future acquisitions for the Norwegian Armed Forces (FANAF) for 2010-2017. The purpose of this is to give the manufacturing industries an early insight into possible materiel investments and so contribute to developing Norwegian manufacturing industries’ ability to support the needs of the Armed Forces. At the same time, FANAF 2010-2017 will strengthen Norwegian manufacturing industries’ chances of participating in international materiel collaboration and ensure that Norwegian companies obtain the best chance to be able to supply materiel and services to the Armed Forces, where this is considered appropriate.

The Armed Forces’ materiel investments are subject to decisions and approval including those of the MoD and the Storting. At the time of publishing FANAF 2010 – 2017 contains descriptions of projects that are not currently formally approved in accordance with approval procedures. The projects are therefore categorised as possible projects (POP) and planned projects (PP). The MoDs feel that it is important to emphasise that while a project is in the possible or planned project portfolio that there will always be a level of uncertainty related to whether the project will be carried out. By making the user of the FANAF 2010 – 2017 report aware of this uncertainty, the MoD is attaching reservations to whether an individual project will be approved and also regarding the ultimate content and extent of the project.
Approved projects (AP) will not be discussed in the FANAF. Information about projects in this category can be found, among other places, on the home page of the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation (NDLO).

Read Full Report in PDF format

The destruction of the Norwegian stockpile is a consequence of the Convention on Cluster Munitions which was signed in Oslo in December last year.

The Convention is the result of a Norwegian initiative in autumn 2006 to establish a negotiation process with the aim of banning a type of weapon which had been shown to cause serious and long-lasting humanitarian suffering. The Norwegian initiative soon gained wide international support and a grand total of 107 states, the UN and many NGOs adopted the Convention in Dublin in May 2008. Norway was the first country to both sign and ratify the Convention when it was opened for signing during the Oslo conference in December. The Convention has so far been signed by 96 countries and a number of other countries have indicated that they will sign in the near future. Not least, it is important to emphasise that the Convention has been signed by 20 of the 28 NATO countries.

”According to the Convention, there is an 8 year deadline for destruction of national stockpiles. However, to avoid further proliferation of existing stocks, I find it extremely important that states start the national destruction processes as soon as possible. By being among the first states to start destroying our stocks, it is my hope that this will send a strong signal to other states,” says Barth Eide.

In March this year the Norwegian Armed Forces and Nammo Demil Divisjon AB signed a contract covering the destruction of the Norwegian stockpile of cluster munitions. The process of destroying these munitions is, as from today, under way at Løkken Verk in Trøndelag. The Deputy Minister of Defence was shown round the old copper mines, 910 metres below ground, where the initial batch of munitions was stacked. Once back on the surface, it was Barth Eide’s job to press the button to trigger the explosion which blew up the munitions. It is expected that the process of destroying these munitions will be completed by the end of July 2010.

“It is good that in Norway we have the necessary skills and facilities to undertake the job of destroying these munitions. With so many countries facing a similar task, this is an area of expertise that will be much in demand, both nationally and internationally,” says Barth Eide.