The US government has authorized Norway to sell F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets. The buyer is the Romanian Ministry of Defense.
At the end of last year, Romania signed a contract with Norway to buy 32 fourth-generation aircraft. The deal amounted to €388 million ($418 million). The fighters will undergo maintenance before shipment.
Earlier, the Scandinavian country ruled out cancelling the agreement to provide the F-16s to Ukraine. This was announced late last month by Jonas Gahr Store, Prime Minister of Norway.
Norway plans to transfer 25 F-16 Fighting Falcon to Ukraine after maintenance work.
Romania will be able to decommission Soviet-era MiG-21 jets thanks to the F-16s. At the same time, Norway retired its last F-16s last year. They will be replaced by fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters.
When it comes to assistance to Ukraine, in theory Norway has something to offer. The Scandinavian country has identified 57 F-16s as available for sale. The buyer for 12 fighters was Draken Internation, but deliveries have not yet been completed.
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