The 332 Squadron (332 Skvadronen) of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (Luftforsvaret) F-35A fighter aircraft conducted the first practical launches of an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) air-to-air missile at the Halten proving ground northwest of the Orland air base. The first Norwegian F-35s arrived in-country for permanent basing at Orland Air Base in November 2017. Norway joined the F-35 program as a partner in the System Development and Demonstration phase.
In November 2008, the Norwegian government selected the F-35 as the replacement for the F-16 fleet. And in September 2015, the first F-35A was unveiled before Norwegian and U.S. government officials and Lockheed Martin leadership at a formal ceremony at the Lockheed Martin production facility in Fort Worth, Texas. Currently, the Norwegian government has funded the procurement of 40 of 52 F-35s, and subsequent authorization will occur on an annual basis.
The AMRAAM missile is operational on all F-35 variants. It’s the only radar-guided, air-to-air missile cleared to fly on the F-35. The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM, is a modern American beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. The AMRAAM is the world’s most popular beyond-visual-range missile, and more than 14,000 have been produced for the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, and 33 international customers. The AMRAAM has been used in several engagements and is credited with ten air-to-air kills.
With more than 25 years of design, upgrades, testing and production, the AIM-120 missile continues to meet all warfighter requirements. Its capabilities have been fully demonstrated in over 4,200 test shots and 10 air-to-air combat victories. Procured by 37 countries including the U.S., the combat-proven AMRAAM missile has been integrated onto the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-22, Typhoon, Gripen, Tornado and Harrier. The AIM-120C5 and AIM-120C7 missiles are fully integrated onto the F-35 and support the U.S. Marine Corp’s F-35B initial operational capability as the only air-to-air missile qualified on the F-35.
