Norway is facing a severe shortage of missiles for its fighter jets amid rising tensions in Europe over the war in Ukraine. According to Norwegian media, in the event of an attack on the country, the fighter jets will not have enough missiles to provide adequate protection.
Norway bought tens of billions of kroner worth of new F-35 fighter jets after decommissioning the F-16 in what was called the largest public sector investment of all time. NRK writes about it.
And if Norway is attacked and the fighters have to fight in the air with enemy fighters, there will not be enough missiles to arm all the planes at the same time.
"If it's true, it's terrible," says Carsten Friis, a security researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Foreign Policy, stressing that if a fighter jet can only fly but not fire, then "the job is simply not done."
He believes that fighter aircraft should not only be able to intervene, if necessary, but also deter a potential aggressor from attacks.
The F-35 uses AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. The Ministry of Defense calls them the "main weapon" that Norwegian combat aircraft will use to protect the airspace. And although the F-35 aircraft have other weapons for air combat, it is these missiles that have the longest range of the weapons available today.
Norway chose the F-35 as its new combat aircraft back in 2008, and in 2017 the first three F-35s arrived in the country. That same year, US officials said Norway had received approval for its first purchase of 60 AMRAAM missiles.
The Norwegian Defense Forces did not comment on the number of available missiles, saying it was classified information, but they confirmed that the fighters do need more weapons.
More missiles are needed
"Today we have both air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. We stated the need for more weapons and they were ordered. So we are in the same situation as almost all other NATO members. The delivery terms are long, because there is a great need, first of all, in Ukraine, - the head of the Norwegian Air Force at the time, Rolf Folland, told NRK.
In July 2022, the US authorities approved that Norway could buy up to 265 missiles of this type, at an estimated cost of 950 million dollars, but they have not yet been delivered. The term for the supply of such weapons is usually two to four years, but with the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, this task has become even more difficult.
"We invested in a very modern and expensive aircraft. Then it is very unwise not to make maximum use of the combat aircraft's capabilities. It's like fighting with one hand behind your back. It is very inefficient and very expensive," says Friis.
However, after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the demand for AMRAAM missiles increased dramatically. The manufacturer Raytheon in the USA has publicly stated that it produces no more than 1,200 missiles per year.
The head of the Ministry of Defense, Erik Kristoffersen, admits that he would like them to have more weapons in stock.
At the same time, it is emphasized that some of the weapons were ordered later, already after the planes arrived in Norway. When detailed planning for the procurement of combat aircraft was carried out in 2010-2012, it became clear that the most important weapons could not be delivered until the F-35 had been in service for several years. The solution to this problem was a well-thought-out strategy where the weapons package was placed closer to the end of fighter aircraft procurement.
The Defense Materials Agency emphasizes that the purchase of AMRAAM was not a reaction to the security policy situation or the war in Ukraine. It emphasized that the contract, signed in November 2022, was part of a longer process, which lasted for a long time, to obtain modern weapons.
Fries, who closely follows what NATO countries are doing and how the war in Ukraine has affected the security situation, says that the war has shown these needs even more clearly.
"The general lesson of Ukraine, I would say, is that we should have the most in stock," says the expert.
