Kongsberg has opened a new maintenance depot in Rygge, Norway, supporting the nation’s F-35 Lightning II aircraft, over two years after the company first unveiled the project.
The 5,000-square-meter (53,819-square-foot) National Air Vehicle Depot will be used to conduct heavy maintenance, upgrades, modifications and improvements to F-35 aircraft, complementing the Norwegian military’s user maintenance efforts at the Ørland fighter jet base.
Previously, the service sent its F-35s to the Cameri hub in northern Italy for heavy maintenance duty. However, the latest building now supports Oslo’s sovereign sustainment capability and operational readiness for its 52-strong Lightning II fleet, while positioning the country as a key contributor to NATO.
The Rygge facility is also located next to the existing maintenance hub for the fighter jet’s F135 engine, established in 2020.
Totally, the facilities are set to employ over 200 employees once fully operational.
“The opening of this facility in Rygge demonstrates how KONGSBERG and the Norwegian defence industry contribute to strengthening Norway’s defence capability as well as maintaining critical aeronautical expertise,” said Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Meanwhile, State Secretary at Norway’s Ministry of Defence, Marte Gerhardsen, highlighted the facility as a representation of “strategic investment in national security.”
It involved close cooperation among the Norwegian Armed Forces, the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services, and Lockheed Martin.
“This ensures greater national control over the maintenance of the F-35, while building an important capacity for the future – both for ourselves and potentially for other user nations,” noted the Director General of the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, Gro Jære.
