Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark plan to unite their air forces
They will jointly plan operations and train pilots and technicians
Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark have signed a declaration of intent to integrate their air forces to be able to counter Russia in case of a threat from it.
Source: Reuters
In a statement, the heads of the air forces of the Nordic countries said that this requires the development of a concept for joint air operations in the region. Therefore, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark plan to operate about 300-400 fighter jets as a single fleet, jointly command them and plan operations together, as well as train pilots and technicians.
Norway currently has 57 F-16s and 37 F-35s, with 15 more on order.
Finland has 62 F/A-18 Hornet aircraft and is waiting for 64 F-35s to be built. Denmark has 58 F-16s, and Copenhagen has ordered another 27 F-35s. Sweden has more than 90 Gripen fighters in its hangars.
"Our united fleet is comparable to that of a large European country," said Major General Jan Dam, Commander of the Danish Air Force.
According to him, the decision to integrate was made after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
It is expected that the work of the joint fleet will be based on NATO principles: Norway and Denmark are already members of the alliance, while Sweden and Finland are waiting for Turkey and Hungary to approve their applications for membership.
