Norway To Ground F-16 Aircrafts Due To Hull Cracks

The Norwegian defense ministry has confirmed that they have found cracks in the hull in several of it’s F-16 fighter aircrafts.

In an email to the newspaper Bergens Tidende, Air Force said that cracks have occured in the fuselage under the cockpit. Some planes with cracks can still be used, while other aircrafts must be repaired first. The Air Force has conveyed that they will look seriously into the matter, and that they are constantly working to rectify the problems.

The planes that have cracks will undergo either a temporary repair that has a limited duration, or a complete repair that requires more time and resources.

The air Force has to re-prioritize exercise activity and change the operation pattern due to the cracks. We use a lower number of aircrafts, while it is inserted additional resources to repair planes that are cracked, it says in the email.

The email stated that the cracks will not hit the international agreements that participation in NATO's Baltic Air Policing.