“Weather is a big factor here,” says Maj. Charles Svensson, commander to Bodø’s combined 331/334 Skvadron, or squadron. “In addition to being located so far north, our position on the shore of Atlantic Ocean often makes us prone to marginal and rapidly changing weather conditions.” Bodø MAS is located on Norway’s rugged northern coastline between the Atlantic and the mouth of the Salt Fjord. The base has adapted to operations in the arctic environment with facilities and hardened aircraft shelters cut from the rock of the surrounding mountains. In spite of the accommodations, operating out of this base can be tough. Not only can flying the aircraft be difficult, but maneuvering it on the ground can also be difficult. “The landing gear tires can easily lose grip in the snow of our harsh winters and cause the aircraft to skid, especially since some of our taxiways are a bit sloped.

“Sometimes we find ourselves fighting hard to keep the jet on the concrete,” he continues. “That’s something we really have to watch.” So operating out of Bodø comes with a little extra work and requires a little extra skill. Besides having taxiing skills, pilots must also learn how to manage their fuel because they cannot always return to base so easily. “The varying weather conditions here are our biggest problem. We can take off under clear conditions but return to a base immersed in freezing rain in less than an hour. So we always have to plan for a diversion.” To protect them from the freezing north Atlantic waters, Bodø pilots wear thick immersion suits year round in case they have to eject.

Cold War Hotspot

A lot of cold weather is required to prevent Norwegian crews from flying, though. This resolve emphasizes Bodø’s key role in Norway’s air defense. During the Cold war, Bodø faced the massive Soviet forces stationed in the Murmansk area and the Kola Peninsula as the northern-most European frontline between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces. One of the key tasks of the Norwegian F-16 units was to prevent a massive Soviet force from flying round the North Cape, down through the Iceland-Norway gap, and over the Atlantic to attack NATO forces on the central front from behind. As a result, no other area in the NATO alliance confronted Soviet counterparts face-to-face as frequently as did the polar region of the North Atlantic. Scrambling formed the bread and butter for the Bodø F-16 crews, with up to 200 actual intercepts recorded per year at the height of the Cold War. On several occasions, Bodø pilots brought back the first photographic evidence of new Soviet military aircraft.

Armed with AIM-9L sidewinders and now with AIM-120B AMRAAMS, Bodø still keeps aircraft and aircrews on quick-reaction alert around the clock. Nevertheless, conditions have changed dramatically since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Bodø aircrews still perform ten to fifteen actual scrambles a year, of which two-thirds involve such Russian aircraft as Bears and Backfires and an occasional Blackjack and the rest involve mainly RAF Nimrods. “The big difference today is that our Russian colleagues inform us ahead of time about their activities,” Svensson explains. “We take nothing for granted, though, keeping a watchful eye when they come close to our borders.” On such occasions, Bodø sometimes beefs up its alert posture by setting up a second quick-reaction alert at Banak Air Base close to the North Cape in extreme northern Norway.

Norway’s Firsts

Bodø’s history with the F-16 began in 1981 when its two fighter squadrons, 331 and 334 Skv, started trading their Lockheed F-104G Starfighter interceptors for Fighting Falcons. One year earlier, the F-16 made its debut in Norway with 332 Skv, the RNoAF operational conversion unit at Rygge MAS near Oslo. Here, most Norwegian air and ground crews were prepared for the F-16. 331 Skv was the first operational RNoAF fighter squadron to be declared combat ready by NATO in mid 1982. The neighboring 334 Skv followed one year later, after which the conversion effort shifted to Ørland MAS near Trondheim where the F-5s from 338 Skv were traded for F-16s. Norway’s fifth fighter squadron, the Rygge-based 336 Skv, kept operating its F-5s until the squadron was disbanded in 1999.

In all, the RNoAF has taken delivery of sixty F-16A and twelve F-16B models, initially Block 1 and 5 models, later followed by Block 10 and 15 models. The Norwegian Block 1 and 5 models all underwent the Pacer Loft program, bringing them up to Block 10 standard. The last enhanced F-16s arrived in Norway in June 1984. In 1987, RNoAF ordered two additional F-16Bs to compensate for attrition losses. All but these last two aircraft originated from the Fokker production line at Schiphol in the Netherlands, where the aircraft were manufactured along with the aircraft for the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The Norwegian aircraft were the first F-16s to feature the extended tail housing to accommodate a drag chute in the base of the fin. The drag chute enables the aircraft to be operated from hard-packed snow or ice-covered runways where wheel brakes are of little use. (The chutes also come in handy for landings diverted to northern civilian airports, which tend to have short runways.) Another F-16 first was the introduction of the identification spotlight on the port side of the nose on the Norwegian (and on the Danish) F-16s. This light, which can illuminate aerial targets during nighttime intercepts, is called the Russian light by the Norwegian crews. The light was later adopted on the F-16 Block 15 Air Defense Fighter version and on the Portuguese Block 15. Another major distinction from baseline Block 10/15 models is the AN/ALQ-162 internally mounted jammer.

Falcons And Penguins

Because of Norway’s geography and its massive coastline, RNoAF’s other prime mission is sea invasion defense. The Fighting Falcons perform an important role in this mission in the maritime strike role. For such missions, the RNoAF operates the Penguin Mk.3 anti-shipping missile. This weapon, produced locally by the Kongsberg Vapenfabrikk, is a highly efficient fire-and-forget missile against naval surface targets. It was selected after evaluating such other similar weapons as the AGM-65 Maverick, the AGM-68 Harpoon, the French AM39 Exocet, and the German AS34 Kormoran missile. The Penguin appeared to outperform all its competitors in the narrow Norwegian Fjords, the anticipated operational environment for the missile. Although the RNoAF is the sole user of the Penguin, the US Air Force has also evaluated it, designating it AGM-119.

Bodø’s 334 Skv, tasked with the anti-shipping role, is the main operator of the Penguin missile. “It is a great missile,” says Brig. Gen. Kjell Nordby, the Bodø station commander. During the eighties, Nordby was the project pilot who introduced the Penguin in the RNoAF inventory. Having logged 2,700 hours on F-5s and 1,500 hours on F-16s, Nordby no longer flies F-16s but has not lost his enthusiasm for the Fighting Falcon. “It is a wonderful aircraft, especially after the Mid-Life Update. It is a big challenge for my pilots to operate such a sophisticated platform, and it provides a tremendous boost to our combat potential.”

Squadron And A Half

Like the other members of the European Participating Air Forces, the Luftforsvaret has processed most of its F-16s through the MLU program. Fifty-six airframes are being put through the upgrade program conducted by the RNoAF maintenance depot at Kjeller. Bodø MAS is the last of the RNoAF F-16 stations to receive MLU jets and, as such, still operates a mix of MLU and Block 15 OCU jets. With the availability of MLU airframes for the operational units lagging behind a bit, aircraft must constantly be swapped between bases and squadrons. “Every month, we have a video conference with all F-16 units to discuss the allocation of aircraft,” explains Maj. Svensson. “We determine how to distribute the aircraft among us according to the varying requirements of each unit. Since most of the jets have been put though the update program now, availability is not so much a factor anymore.”

Because of the MLU inflow process, the two Bodø squadrons have merged to operate as one. “We felt that having one squadron here would simplify the MLU introduction rather than having two separate units transform,” says Nordby. “A single squadron offers us the flexibility we need to perform our mission while maintaining our daily flying program at the same time.” The combined unit is known as 331/334 Skv.

The Bodø aircrews are enthusiastic about the MLU jets. “The MLU is the kind of fighter an air force needs these days,” says Svensson. “It is powerful, has great sensors, and adds to the situational awareness of the pilot. One of the features that strikes me most is the improved cockpit ergonomics. The layout of the instruments and panels is more logical, which makes the aircraft easier to operate.”

Important Year

Bodø F-16 crews make full use of the broad range of capabilities offered by the MLU F-16s. Since 1994, the focus at Bodø has shifted more from air-to-air to air-to-ground missions. The training syllabus for RNoAF F-16 pilots now includes not only lessons on the AIM-120 AMRAAMs but also the finer points of precision-guided munitions.

“We are eagerly awaiting the release of the MLU M3 software tapes,” says Svensson. “This upgrade will give us everything we need to bring us up to the requirements our weapon inventory dictates, in particular with the Penguin missile.” In mid-2002, the Bodø pilots will be introduced to night vision goggles already being used by the 338 Skv at Ørland. In mid-2002, two separate flying squadrons will also be reestablished at Bodø, albeit not without changes.

“The RNoAF is redistributing all the flying units over the bases we use,” explains Nordby. “For us, this redistribution means that we will say goodbye to 334 Skv, which will be deactivated and reestablished as a maritime helicopter squadron at Sola Air Base. Instead, we will be welcoming 332 Skv here, which will relocate from Rygge.”

The move will bring some organizational changes. “We are moving towards an organization that relies less on the air station element and more on the squadrons themselves, which can be augmented with certain modular elements,” Nordby adds. “So 2002 will be an important year for us.” The Bodø reorganization will be completed later in 2002. By that time, the MLU upgrade program for the RNoAF will conclude. Norway’s small but highly efficient air force can look to a future with confidence and pride.

Eric Stijger is an aviation photojournalist based in the Netherlands.