Norwegian F-35s were called into action on Tuesday as NATO scrambled jets in response to Russian aircraft “not adhering to international norms,” NATO’s Air Command said in a post on X.
Italy’s air force intercepted a Russian Coot-A plane flying over the Baltic Sea, while the Norwegian F-35s identified multiple Russian aircraft off the coast of Norway, NATO Air Command said.
Henrik Omtvedt Jenssen, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Armed Forces, told Norway’s NRK media outlet that the Russian aircraft included two Tu-95 strategic bombers and two Su-33 fighter jets.
Jenssen said that the Russian planes “showed safe and professional behavior,” per NRK.
Such incidents have occurred on multiple occasions in recent months, with both Russia and the West scrambling fighters to intercept aircraft.
The UK’s Royal Air Force scrambled two Typhoon fighter jets on Thursday after a Russian military aircraft was detected near UK airspace, the British Ministry of Defence said, per the BBC.
The Typhoons monitored a Russian Bear-F bomber as it passed over the North Sea, the report said.
In July, Russian fighter jets scrambled to intercept two US Air Force B-52H bombers approaching Russia’s border, the Russian Ministry of Defense said at the time.
The department said the bombers turned away as the Russian jets approached and that there was “no violation of the State border.”
Norway and the F-35
Norway, which received its first F-35s in 2017, has played an important role in the development and production of the jet, with local companies manufacturing parts and providing services for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
In 2023, the Norwegian defense contractor Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace won a contract worth 1.2 billion Norwegian Krone (around $110 million) to supply parts for the program.
Kongsberg said the deal covered production lots 18-19 for rudders, vertical leading edges, and main landing gear closeout panels for three versions of the F-35, totaling over 300 aircraft.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2025 and will extend through 2027, the company said.
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