Proposed Base Relocation May Boost Norway's JSF Costs
By Gerard O'Dwyer
Published: 3 Nov 2009 15:34
Helsinki - The Norwegian Air Force (NAF) is facing an unforeseen investment cost related to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the service's future combat jet.
The municipality of Bodo has proposed relocating the NAF's main northern air base away from the Arctic town over fears that takeoff noise levels of the F-35, also called the Lightning II, could be significantly higher than those of the F-16, the NAF's current fighter.
The proposal would require the NAF to build a new air base and a 3,394-meter runway that is 700 meters west of the current facility, which is next to Bodo's civilian airport. Such a project could prove costly for the NAF, as it would require building at least part of the new runway on land reclaimed from the nearby North Sea.
More than half of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft ordered by Norway in 2008 will be based in the NAF's northern military airports, including the Bodo air base. The base, which is 3 kilometers from Bodo's town center, houses the NAF's 331st and 332nd Squadrons and includes a NATO combined air operations center.
"We are looking for a solution to what could become a significant noise problem for Bodo town once the F-35s arrive here," said Odd Tore Fygle, Bodo's mayor. "The Air Force has had an air base in Bodo for 50 years, so we are used to living near a busy military air base. From what we know, the F-35s are more noisy than the F-16s based here at present, and this poses a problem for citizens and life generally in Bodo."
The municipality's noise pollution fears are largely based on leaks of information centered on updated acoustic measurement and test data that Lockheed Martin is reported to have delivered in recent months to the NAF. Lockheed Martin is the stealth plane's prime contractor.
The reports suggest the F-35 could be up to four times as loud as the F-16, depending on whether the fighter jet takes off with full power using its afterburners, Fygle said.
But a study released in March by the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory found only a marginal difference between the takeoff noise levels of the F-35 and F-16, assessing the difference at about 5 decibels (dB).
When the F-35 used military power to take off, the maximum indicated noise level was 110 dB, the study said. Comparable figures for Dutch Air Force F-16s that were tested were 104 to 107 dB at military power, and 111 to 114 dB with afterburner.
The municipality's concerns may become immaterial if Norway's Ministry of Defense (MoD) decides on a new air base location as part of a plan to strengthen the country's northern air defenses. Besides Bodo, sites under consideration include Evenes and Orland. The MoD plans to present a report with recommendations to the government by year's end.
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