Royal Norwegian Air Force

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Norwegian Defence

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Air Force Air Force
Luftforsvaret
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Luftforsvaret or the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) is the air force of Norway. It was established as separate arm of the Norwegian armed forces on November 10, 1944. The RNoAF has a peacetime strength of about 5,850; after mobilization, the total number of personnel would be around 17,000.

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 Kuhaugen, Trondheim).

The RNoAF is organized in six Air Wings. These are divided into a total of nine squadrons of planes as well as two anti aircraft units. The operational force consists of:

The RNoAF will conduct several investments in the coming years. First the European helicopter NH-90 will be added to replace the Lynxs, but the Air Force also have an option of buying an additional 15 SAR helicopters to replace the aging Sea Kings. During a five year period the Government will also decide the future of the transport aircraft fleet, and decide which new fighter aircraft to buy in 2010. Concerning the fighter aircraft the main competition is between the European Eurofighter Typhoon and the American Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II with SAAB JAS-39 Gripen still not being ruled out.

Contents

[edit] History

Military flights started in 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). 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. In the late 30s more modern aircraft was bought from abroad, including 12 Gloster Gladiator fighters from the UK, and 6 Heinkel He 115. Considerable orders for aircraft were placed with U.S. companies during the months prior to the invasion of Norway on April 9, 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.

Curtis P-36 Hawk
Curtis P-36 Hawk

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 the 9th of 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.

Roundel first used in 1945.
Roundel first used in 1945.

The unequal situation led to the rapid defeat of the Norwegian air forces, even though seven Gladiators from Jagervingen (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. Jagervingen 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 Great Britain on June 10, 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. A captured Arado Ar 196 originating from the German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper was also flown to Britain for testing.

The Army and Navy air forces 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 Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) was established by a royal decree on November 1, 1944, thereby merging the Army and Navy air forces. 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.

After the war the Spitfire remained in service with them 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.

Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16 returns from a mission, Afghanistan, 2006.
Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16 returns from a mission, Afghanistan, 2006.

In 1949 Norway joined NATO, and quite soon received American aircraft through the MAP (Military Aid Program). The expanding of the Air Force had to happen at a very rapid pace as the Cold War progressed. Throughout the Cold War the Norwegian Air Force was the only NATO air force with resposibility for an area with a land locked border with the Soviet Union and Norwegian fighter air crafts had on average 500-600 interceptions of Soviet air crafts each year. [2]

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

In October 2002 a tri-national detachment of 18 Norwegian, Danish, and Netherlands F-16 ground attack aircraft and one Netherlands KDC-10 tanker, deployed to Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan in support of ground forces in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

In 2004, 4 F-16 participated on NATO's Baltic Air Policing operation.

Since February, 2006, Eight Royal Netherlands Air Force, joined by four Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16s have been supporting NATO ISAF ground troops in predominantly the southern provinces of Afghanistan. The detachment is know as the 1st Netherlands-Norwegian European Participating Forces Expeditionary Air Wing (1 NLD/NOR EEAW) [7]

[edit] Organisation

F-16A #672 carrying 4 AIM-120 AMRAAMs and 2 AIM-9 Sidewinders. The Norwegian F-16s were the first to be equipped with braking parachutes (located in the rectangular extension at the base of the tail fin).
F-16A #672 carrying 4 AIM-120 AMRAAMs and 2 AIM-9 Sidewinders. The Norwegian F-16s were the first to be equipped with braking parachutes (located in the rectangular extension at the base of the tail fin).

Bodø Main Air Station

Ørland Main Air Station

  • 138. Air Wing
    • Squadron 338 (F-16A MLU, NRF - NATO Reaction Force)
    • GBAD Battalion (NASAMS 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)
    • Luftforsvarets Flygeskole
Norwegian Bell 412 SP
Norwegian Bell 412 SP

Gardermoen Air Station

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

Rygge Air Station

Sola Air Station

[edit] Planes used by the Air Force and its predecessors

Gloster Gladiator in Norwegian colours photographed in England in 2002
Gloster Gladiator in Norwegian colours photographed in England in 2002
Gloster Gladiator in Norwegian colours on the ground in England 10 July 2005
Gloster Gladiator in Norwegian colours on the ground in England 10 July 2005
Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service Northrop N-3PB in flight over the North Atlantic Ocean.
Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service Northrop N-3PB in flight over the North Atlantic Ocean.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links and references

  1. ^ Forsvarsnett: The Royal Norwegian Air Force. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.
  2. ^ The Norwegian Air Force chief's address to Oslo Military Society in 2004
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