The flight took place at Ørland Air Base during the airborne phase of Weapons Instructor Course 26. Pilots from Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States participated in the mission.
The activity was conducted under the Capacity on Call memorandum signed last year by Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium. U.S. Air Forces in Europe joined the cooperation through a separate agreement.
The framework allows participating countries to pool and share F-35 aircraft, personnel and compatible munitions. Its purpose is to give NATO air forces more flexibility in deploying aircraft, crews and weapons while improving interoperability among European F-35 operators.
Under the agreement’s Interfly provisions, pilots can operate F-35s belonging to another participating country. Cross-servicing rules allow mechanics to refuel and inspect allied aircraft between missions, while the armament-sharing provision covers compatible missiles and bombs.
The Weapons Instructor Course provided the first operational setting for using the arrangement. The multinational course is held every two years and is jointly organized by Norway and the Netherlands.
Danish pilots flew Norwegian F-35s during the course and released Danish bombs from Dutch aircraft. Norwegian F-35s also fired Dutch AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, demonstrating the agreement’s aircraft and armament-sharing provisions.
“The multinational mission conducted in Norway is a concrete step towards even closer cooperation with European F-35 users,” said Col. Vesa Mäntylä, deputy chief of staff at Air Force Command Finland. “For Finland, this cooperation will gradually develop and become part of our daily operations as the new F-35s enter service.”
“The flexible use of F-35 fighter jets, personnel and weapon systems among Allies will strengthen both Finland’s national defence and NATO’s collective defence in the future,” Mäntylä said. Finland expects the arrangement to become a regular part of its operations as its F-35A fleet enters service.
