On Wednesday, January 8, 2024, the press service of the 31st Air Base in Poznań-Krzesiny announced on social media the arrival of Norwegian Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II multirole jets, whose deployment in Poland had been announced on December 2, 2024.
Illustrative photo: Forsvaret
Colonel Ole Marius Tørrisplass, commander of the 132nd Air Wing (132 Luftving) of the Norwegian Air Force (Luftforsvaret), emphasized the importance of this mission:
“This is a very important task for the Norwegian Armed Forces. The ability and readiness to support the NATO alliance in a demanding time demonstrate our strength. We are well prepared for this task, both with our NASAMS air defense system and our F-35 fighters.”
In early December of last year, Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram announced that, as part of strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, Norway would deploy F-35A Lightning II multirole jets and NASAMS (National/Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) air defense systems to Poland, along with approximately 100 soldiers. The forces and equipment will protect the airspace in the southeastern part of the country, around the Rzeszów region, which serves as the main hub for military aid to Ukraine in its ongoing fight. Norway also committed to protecting the airspace over the Rzeszów-Jasionka International Airport, as part of NATO’s integrated air and missile defense system.
The NASAMS systems, despite some challenges, arrived in Poland by sea late last year and declared readiness for combat duty on December 14. The mission of both components is expected to last until Easter, approximately April 20 of this year.
It was later clarified that the air component would consist of four F-35A aircraft.
According to the schedule, Norway is expected to have all 52 of its ordered F-35A Lightning II jets by the end of 2025 (so far, 32 have been delivered, with 22 in Norway and 10 still in the United States; an additional 6+6 have been ordered, as reported in the World Air Forces 2025 report).
The main base for the 332nd Fighter Squadron (332nd Skvadron), which operates the aircraft, is Ørland in the Trøndelag region of central Norway. Forward operating bases include Evenes in the Nordland region in the north, as well as Bardufoss Air Base, in a reactivated underground hangar.
In the coming years, Norwegian F-35As will be equipped with advanced weaponry, including the latest AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM medium-range missiles, Joint Strike Missiles, and GBU-53/B StormBreaker guided bombs.
Norwegian Lightning jets are not the only ones guarding NATO’s eastern flank. Since December 1 of last year, Dutch F-35As stationed at Ämari Air Base in Estonia have been on combat duty as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission. Within less than a week, they intercepted three Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea.