#1742 62 FS, RNoAF, F-35A Lighting II print
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1742 - 13-5087, F-35A Lightning II, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.
The first two Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) F-35 Lightning II aircraft arrived at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona on 10 November 2015. Since that time, RNoAF personnel have been training with the 62nd Fighter Squadron. The Squadron, which trains would-be F-35 pilots from Italy, Norway and the United States, is part of the United States Air Force’s 56th Operations Group. The Squadron’s mission is to “graduate flight pilots who meet or exceed syllabus standards and their gaining units’ expectations, to teach the students what it means to be a fighter pilot and to actively promote quality of life and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth”. The Squadron operates the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft conducting advanced fighter training. The F-35 boasts advanced sensors and communications suites allowing it to operate close to the battlefield and from an elevated position, significantly enhancing the capabilities of networked airborne, maritime, space, surface and ground-based platforms. The F-35 is developed, produced, and supported by an international team of government allies and aerospace industry leaders. The F-35 Program is managed by the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office, with the United States Air Force, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Navy all procuring and operating the type. The program was founded by eight international partners — the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, Norway, Denmark and Canada. The Norwegian fleet at Luke Air Force Base is launched, recovered, maintained and repaired by the highly experienced team of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Field Team Operations mechanics and technicians who take pride both in their work and the ongoing positive relationship with the Norwegian team. The F-35 is now the backbone of the Norwegian Armed Forces, and most of the fifth-generation fighters are operated by 132 Air Wing comprising 331 and 332 Squadrons based at Ørland Air Station in central Norway. In addition, Evenes Air Station, which is home to the country’s P-8A Poseidon fleet, in the north of the country is used as a Forward Operating Base for the F-35 and is capable of hosting a number of aircraft on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties. The fighter aircraft support and provide the rest of the Norwegian Armed Forces with combat air power, information gathering and surveillance as well as providing a significantly strengthened strategic capability thanks to the aircraft’s range of sensors and weapons. Using the F-35’s superb capabilities to hide and to fight, the Norwegian Armed Forces have increased their strike force and strengthened their ability to defend Norway by ensuring that the country can present any future opponent with a credible threshold against military aggression or coercion. Norway’s continued commitment to NATO is crucial in maintaining security for the Alliance’s Northern Flank and the introduction of the F-35 will strengthen that position for decades to come.
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