46 // September 2019 #378 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comNordic air power
support and escort. The Wildcats covered
the force withdrawal with 50-calibre live fire
at the nearby Setermoen firing range. This
was a great experience for us. The most
important aspect of this interoperability
is not necessarily the flying but the
planning, briefing and talking together.”
There are many compelling strategic reasons
why NATO partners seek training opportunities
with Norway, and at Bardufoss in particular.
Specialist units from the Netherlands and the
US were also deployed during AFM’s visit.
During Trident Juncture 2018, a US Navy
carrier air wing from the USS Harry S Truman
(CVN 75) deployed to use the gunnery range
at Setermoen, while USAF special operations
CV-22B Ospreys have occasionally deployed
with expeditionary forces. Home-based at
Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, Somerset,
846 Naval Air Squadron deployed here this
summer, with more Dutch and US forces
scheduled to arrive in 2020. International flying
activity will increase dramatically at Bardufoss
during Exercise Cold Response 2020 – a major
challenge will be finding sufficient facilities to
accommodate all the participating forces.
Nine of Norway’s 18 Bell 412HP/SP
rotorcraft reside at Bardufoss, with the
remainder at Rygge in southern Norway.
These are primarily used for tactical
transport for the army, moving personnel
and equipment, conducting surveillance,
reconnaissance and acting as mobile
command units. However, they are also used
to support local and regional communitiesin a para-public role providing search
and rescue (SAR) on 24/7 readiness.
Col Stueland confirmed that, from next
year, most of the Bell 412s will move
south to support a special operations
air squadron based at Rygge. Aircraft
remaining at Bardufoss will be used for
training and to provide army support.NATO Frigate Helicopter
Norway’s acquisition of the NH90 NATO
Frigate Helicopter (NFH) has made headlines
for all the wrong reasons throughout the
past ten years. As a member of the Nordic
Standard Helicopter Programme (NSHP),
which included Finland and Sweden, Norway
ordered 14 NH90 NFHs in 2001 at a cost of
NOK 11bn (US$1.3bn) to be used for both
anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and coast
guard duties (which includes fisheries and
border protection). The in-service date
was scheduled for 2005-08, but today only
nine have been delivered and full operating
capability (FOC) has been pushed back until- Norway received its first NFH in 2011
and the Lynx Mk86 was retired from service
three years later, placing extra strain on a
nation already patrolling Western Europe’s
longest and most challenging coastline –
an incredible 63,000 miles (101,389km),
or two and half times around the world,
if every inlet and fjord is accounted for.
Beset by a combination of problems
including maintenance, technical faults,
spare parts availability and spiralling
operational costs, the NH90 programme
was heavily criticised in a report issued
by Norway’s Auditor General Per-Kristian
Foss last October. Despite recognising the
programme’s shortcomings, Minister of
Defence Frank Bakke-Jensen provided a more
positive outlook in a recent statement when
explaining that the NH90 is still considered the
best option for Norway as it is “customised
for Norwegian conditions and tailor-made for
the needs of Norway’s coast guard and the
navy”. The NH90 is well suited to cold weather
work – critical parts of the helicopter, such as
the engine air intakes, aerodynamic surfaces
and rotors are fitted with a de-icing system. It
can also fly day or by night at -40°C (-40°F).
The original plan earmarked six aircraft to
be employed for ASW and eight for coast
guard duties. The current recommendation
calls for all 14 NH90s to fulfil naval support
responsibilities, eventually serving at
Haakonsvern in Bergen and at Bardufoss.
Col Stueland updated the current NFH
programme status, including Norway’s
ASW aspirations: “Despite the programme
delays, NH90 is one of the top priorities for
Norway. We are manipulating the programme
in order to make the aircraft available for
ASW as soon as possible given the threat
we face in the north, although this will take
time, as it’s a new capability for us.
“So far, nine NH90s have been delivered
to Bardufoss configured for the interim Step
A capability – without tactical capability,
weaponry and sensors for the ASW or
anti-surface warfare roles. These have to
be configured to Step B capability – with
electronic warfare and the ASW suite – during
the next two years, so we are returning them
to be retrofitted in Tessera, near Venice. We
have now received four Step B configured139 Air Wing
Headquartered at Bardufoss, 139 Air Wing activities are diverse and include squadrons operating from various air
bases throughout Norway:
Unit Base(s) Aircraft Role
Luftforsvarets Flygeskole
(Flying School)Bardufoss MFI-15 Safari Flight training330 Skvadron Stavanger/Sola AW101 Mk612 Operational test and
evaluation (OT&E)
330 Skvadron Moss/Rygge, Stavanger/
Sola, Florø, Bodø,
Ørland, Lakselv/BanakSea King Mk43B Search and rescue334 Skvadron Haakonsvern NH90 NFH Anti-submarine warfare
337 Skvadron Bardufoss NH90 NFH Coast guard
339 Skvadron Bardufoss, Moss/Rygge Bell 412HP/SP Army support/special
forcesAbove: A US Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey
performs an amphibious assault demonstration
on the Norwegian coast during Exercise Trident
Juncture 2018. The tiltrotor, serial 168330 ‘YM-08’,
is operated by Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron
365 (VMM-365) ‘Blue Knights’, detached from
the assault ship USS ‘Iwo Jima’ (LHD 7). Torbjørn
Kjosvold/Forsvaret Below right: A USAF B-52H,
deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana,
fl ies in formation with three RNoAF F-16s over
Norway last March 28. The fl ight was in support
of US Strategic Command’s Bomber Task Force in
Europe. via USAFEThe door gunner on board a Bell 412SP from 339
Skvadron during the Joint Viking 2017 winter
exercise in northern Norway’s Finnmark region.
Norway considers the Bell 412 a very robust
airframe with excellent serviceability and reliability
in all conditions. Fredrik Ringnes/Forsvaret44-48 NorwayRestructures AFM Sep2019.indd 46 8/5/2019 9:46:57 AM