Norway’s F-35 fighter jet deliveries to resume after delays due to Texas accident and upgrade issues

Norway has ordered 52 F-35 fighter jets, all of which were supposed to be delivered by the end of 2024. However, following an accident involving an F-35 B at Fort Worth in Texas in the winter of 2023, there have been delays in the delivery of the F-35s. It has been over a year since the last jet arrived in Norway, but deliveries have now resumed, confirmed by manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Originally, six fighter jets were to be delivered each year. Currently, 40 jets are in Norway, with 12 remaining.

Authorities now expect to collect the remaining F-35 jets during the first half of 2025. Following the accident in Texas, there have been challenges with the manufacturer, and upgrades to the jets have been made. These upgrades are the reason why Norway has not received its jets on time.

The US Department of Defense has now approved the jets to be delivered with a limited version of Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3). This is the upgrade that led to the delays. The F-35s are based out of Ørlandet in Trøndelag. When the final 12 jets are delivered, Norway will also receive the first major round of upgrades for the F-35s since they took over from the F-16s in 2022.

The F-35 production has largely kept to schedule for ten years, until all deliveries had to be stopped following the accident. The F-35 is one of the first major weapon systems that have been developed and built for this type of regular upgrades.

The F-35 comes in several variants; F-35A, F-35B, F-35C, and F-35I. The plane involved in the Texas accident was an F-35B, a STOVL version (short takeoff/vertical landing) which means the fighter jet can land vertically. Norway has ordered the F-35 A type.

Tord Aslaksen, head of the fighter jet department in Defense Material (FMA) air capabilities, says that all twelve jets Norway is waiting for are “virtually fully produced” at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. The 40 jets Norway has already received will receive the TR-3 upgrade as soon as new hardware and software are delivered and ready to be installed. This will happen in Ørlandet. The TR-3 upgrade involves updated hardware and software that will give the F-35 more capabilities. Notably, the update is necessary to integrate the Kongsberg missile JSM (Joint Strike Missile) with the F-35.

According to the fighter jet program, the F-35 will be fully operational in Norway during 2025.