U.S. Ambassador Pressures Norway To Buy American Planes Over Sweden

December 27, 2007 7:45 a.m. EST

Oslo, Norway (AHN) - U.S. Ambassador to Oslo Benson Whitney is subtly hinting to Norway to purchase its new jet fighters from the U.S. instead of Sweden to maintain its close ties. He made the hints after a joint European venture backed out to supply Norway's new military aircraft requirements, leaving Oslo with the U.S. and Sweden as its choice.

Whitney, though, stressed, "It is of course the Storting (Parliament), the Government and the people to decide over the military and the relations with the US."

Norway is due to retire in a few years its U.S.-manufactured F-16s. Oslo is choosing between the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter and the Swedish JAS Gripen. If it selects JAS Gripen, Norwegian pilots will fly to Sweden to train and this will lead to less contact between Norwegian and U.S. officers who had a very close cooperation on security matters, Whitney said.

Whitney added, "Hundreds of Norwegian pilots have trained in the U.S. and dozens of U.S. pilots have come to Norway to train with Norwegian colleagues. I wouldn't like to lose this contact."

JAS Gripen is the military aircraft used by the Swedish, Czech Republic, Hungarian, Thai and South African Air Forces. Its manufacturer, Saab, has already put one over the U.S. after the Swedish government opted to develop the Gripen than buy variants of U.S. jet fighters.

Gripen aircraft can land on public roads, part of Sweden's war defense tactics. Within 10 minutes a five-man mobile ground crew could refuel and re-arm the aircraft from a truck and take off again to resume its flying assignments.