The Norwegian parliament last week authorized the purchase of six additional F-35s, raising the total potential buys to 52, according to a spokesman.
Endre Lunde, spokesman for Norway’s F-35 program, said Tuesday the approval allows Norway’s defense ministry to make commitments to F-35s, but funding is not guaranteed as it is approved on an annual basis. Including the six jets, which are to be delivered in 2018, parliament authorized the authority to purchase up to an additional 16 jets.
Norway is authorized to receive two F-35s in both 2015 and 2016 and six jets in 2017 and 2018, according to Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Laurie Tortorello,
The announcement is a boost for F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] and the Defense Department, which are trying to drive down unit costs with the purchase of additional aircraft from international partners. Ten countries, in addition to the United States, have committed to buying F-35s: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
South Korea has suggested it will buy F-35s as part of a $7.7 billion competition to upgrade its fighter jet fleet. Boeing [BA], originally poised to win the competition, offered its F-15E before the South Korean government revised the requirements for the competition (Defense Daily, Dec. 6). Singapore has also been rumored to be interested in the fifth-generation fighter.
Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with subcontractors BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman [NOC].