10:31 GMT, November 21, 2008 Norway's government yesterday announced to buy Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) as its multi-role fighter instead of Saab's Gripen jet fighter. A contract may include 48 such aircraft and could be worth about $2.5 billion or $52 million per unit. The government spokesman said that the JSF aircraft are the only ones that meet operational standards set by Norway's government for the country's future military air force.
In this decision, the Norwegian government followed a recommendation of the ‘Project Future Combat Aircraft Capability Committee (PFCACC)’, an expert group formed in 2005 by the MoD to evaluate the different aircraft. Because the PFCACC completed its report sooner than anticipated, the government decided to announce the fighter choice a month earlier.
“The Joint Strike Fighter is clearly best at fulfilling the requirements we have set, and in addition (it) is the cheapest plane," Prime Minister Jens told during a news conference.
While not mentioning the exact price tag defence ministry officials told journalists that the JSF package was $840 million (€670 million) cheaper than the Gripen offer.
Unhappy about this decisionSaab CEO Åke Svensson said, “I’m disappointed and surprised about the Norwegian Governments decision, because Gripen fulfils all the operational requirements, to a fixed and known price. In addition to this, we have offered a wide and strong industrial cooperation package.” He objects against Norway's defence minister Anne-Grete Ström-Erichsen who stated "the JSF is the only candidate which fulfils all the operational requirements specified by the Norwegian Government and is furthermore offered at a lower price than the Gripen NG."
Svensson also added that “Gripen is a very competitive combat aircraft on the international market and we will now continue to focus on all the other countries were procurement processes are ongoing and Gripen is an alternative.”
Norway has co-participated in the JSF development with other NATO members, while also running a competitive tender where the Gripen has been the only other jet considered after the Eurofighter Typhoon pulled back. The new F-35 Lightening II JSF planes will replace Norway's 48 aging F-16 planes partly to monitor its large northern seaboard, where Russia has boosted military activities in recent years. "Combat aircraft is a crucial capability for Norway's defence," Stoltenberg said in a statement on Thursday.
In a press conference, Strøm-Erichsen rejected the fears that Norway's decision for the JSF may hurt defence and industrial cooperation with Sweden or other Nordic nations.
"We do not expect such problems. We have made the best choice, and I believe that Nordic defence and security cooperation can proceed independently of this procurement, and this decision," she said.
Luca Bonsignore
