The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) has a signed new agreement with the US Government to procure AIM-120D missiles.
Announced by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (MoD), the agreement has an estimated value of approximately $497.87m (Nkr5bn).
It was signed between NDMA director general Gro Jære and US Defense Attache to Norway and US Navy captain Eric Severseike on 16 November.
The AIM-120D advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM) are for the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s (RNoAF) F-35 fighter aircraft.
It will enhance Norway’s defensive capabilities and will be used as the main weapon to safeguard the country’s airspace over the next several years.
Norway is expecting the delivery of AMRAAM-D missiles to complete by 2028.
Gro Jære said: “Through this agreement, Norwegian F-35s will also gain access to a weapon that itself has major improvements in terms of sensors/range, and which will be effective against everything from drones and cruise missiles to other combat aircraft.”
The MoD informed that the funds allocated for this purchase have been drawn from the overall estimated budget of the Norwegian F-35 programme.
Following this deal, the programme’s majority of the remaining funds will be used to acquire other weapons, including the AMRAAM-D and the joint strike missiles.
Simultaneously, Norway has also finalised an industrial cooperation agreement with the US-based missile manufacturer Raytheon.
According to Norway Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram, the latest move will further strengthen the US-Norwegian defence cooperation.
Gram said: “It is very important to the Norwegian Government that large international defence procurements create opportunities for our domestic industry, and this is no exception.
“We see several relevant areas of cooperation that together amount to several billion kroner.”
