Norwegian Lightnings attending first big exercise
For the first time in history, Luftforsvaret (RNoAF, Royal Norwegian Air Force) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft were used during exercise Red-Flag 21-2. Four Norwegian owned F-35As, Norwegian pilots and associated Norwegian technicians participated in the Red-Flag 21-2 exercise, which was held from 8 March until 19 March 2021 at Nellis AFB (NV).
The Lightnings, pilots and technicians are part of the 62nd Fighter Squadron Spikes, which trains Norwegian, Italian and American F-35 pilots on a daily basis. The squadron is part of the 56th Fighter Wing and is based at Luke AFB (AZ).
About 2,500 people from different countries participated in the latest Red Flag exercise.
Besid
es Norway, the United States, Singapore, Sweden, and six other NATO countries were represented. Although some Norwegian 62nd FS members already participated the Red Flag exercise 19-2, the latest Red Flag was the first one that they attended with their own aircraft.
At this moment, ten RNoAF F-35As are attached to the 62nd FS. In March 2021, three Lightning IIs from 332 skv were flown to Luke AFB, where they joined the 62nd FS to increase the training capacity of Norwegian fighter pilots until the autumn of 2023:
Photo: Luftforsvaret / Patch: https://www.aviatorgear.com