DrakenUS, a Texas-based private military contractor, has announced purchasing 12General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falconfighter jets from the government of Norway.
The aircraft are going to supplement furtherthe12 F-16sDrakenalreadypurchased from Netherlands, and an assortment of other military jets the company employs.
“The inclusion of the F-16s into theDrakenfleet is transformational,”Joe Ford,the CEO ofDraken, is quoted inthecompanyӰҵ Facebook postaboutthe purchase.
NorwayӰҵ F-16s were deliveredin the1980sand have been upgraded to Block 20 variant between the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2017, theRoyal Norwegian Air Forcebegan receivingLockheed Martin F-35ALightning IIfifth-generation fighter jets. The countryplans to receiveup to 52 of them, fully replacing the fleet of F-16s by 2024.
NorwayӰҵ progress mirrors that of the Netherlands.TheRoyal Netherlands Air Forcebegan receiving their F-35s in 2019, with F-16s phasing out since 2021.
In June 2021,it was announced that twelve ex-Dutch F-16s will be delivered toDraken. The contract was signed on December 1, 2021, and the deliveries are scheduled to start in 2022.
The next country in line with F-16sup for grabs could be Denmark. The Royal Danish Air Force inducted its first F-35Ain April 2021 and expects to operate it by 2023.The Scandinavian country plans to retire 24 of itstotalof 43 F-16 fighter jets before 2025.
Drakenis one of the largest private military contractors focused on providing tactical aviation services. It primarily offers airborne adversary support, also known as “red air”, by imitating the enemy in simulated aerial combat.
The companyӰҵ fleet currently consists of Dassault Mirage F1, Atlas Cheetah and MiG-21 fighter jets, as well as Aero L-159 and Douglas A-4 light combat aircraft.
