Norway signs for AMRAAM-D missiles to equip F-35 fleet

The Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) signed an agreement on 16 November with the US government worth approximately NOK5 billion ($500.3 million) regarding acquisition of AMRAAM-D air-to-air missiles to equip the F-35s of the Norwegian Air Force.

The AMRAAM-D will serve as the main weapon used to defend Norwegian airspace for the next decades and the agreement represents the single largest procurement of munitions for the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Previous versions of AMRAAM have been used on Norwegian Air Force F-16s and as part of the NASAMS ground-based air defence system developed by Norway's Kongsberg.

'Through this agreement Norwegian F-35s will... gain access to a weapon that... has major improvements in terms of sensors and range, and which will be effective against everything from drones and cruise missiles to other combat aircraft, said Gro Jære, Director General of the NDMA.

Delivery of the missiles will continue through to 2028 and cost of the procurement will be funded from the overall Norwegian F-35 programme.

Norway has also signed a new industrial cooperation agreement with AMRAAM manufacturer Raytheon, which partnered with Kongsberg on NASAMS.

Earlier this month, another European NATO member, Belgium, initiated the procurement of AMRAAM missiles for its future F-35 fleet via the US FMS route.

Shephard Defence Insight estimates the unit cost of an AMRAAM at around $1,000,000.

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