OSLO, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Norway's first three F-35 Lightning II fighter jets arrived here on Friday, public broadcaster NRK reported.
The new Norwegian combat aircraft landed at the Orland Air Station in central Norway on Friday afternoon, about ten hours after they took off from the United States.
Their arrival will be officially marked on Nov. 10 with a ceremony on the occasion of the Royal Norwegian Air Force's 73rd anniversary.
In June 2009, the Norwegian Parliament decided that the F-35 Lightning II would succeed today's F-16 fighter jets. Within 2025, Norway will buy 52 new stealth multi-role fighters.
Norway is expecting to receive 10 of its 52 F-35 fighter jets. The other seven are still stationed in the United States for training and education purposes.
According to plan, six fighters will be delivered to Norway annually from 2017 to 2024. The first Norwegian F-35s will start operating in 2019, and in 2025, the complete Norwegian F-35 fleet will be operating on a full scale.
