Norwegian Armed Forces

[vargr]

I might post a series of photos on Norway's 20 years in Afghanistan (the first soldiers arrived in 2002), but not right now. I spent time in Afghanistan training Afghan police and SF... I'll need some time to decompress first.

...

F-16Bs flying near the Helgeland coast. These photos are part of a series documenting the last few months of service the F-16 will have in the Royal Norwegian Airforce before the type is completely phased out.

Mighty birds with a lot of years on their frames.

 

[vargr]

US and Norwegian soldiers establish a mobile communications array.

 

[vargr]

Engineers during gunnery drills. Distance from target was 600 meters.

 

[vargr]

Guardsman aspirants practicing during close quarters arrest technique drills.

 

[vargr]

The last Norwegian SF return home from Afghanistan. Some Norwegian NGOs remain, but we were the last in uniform to leave. Bittersweet moment.

This C-17 belongs to a multinational unit called the Strategic Airlift Capability.

 

[jetray]

I might post a series of photos on Norway's 20 years in Afghanistan (the first soldiers arrived in 2002), but not right now. I spent time in Afghanistan training Afghan police and SF... I'll need some time to decompress first.

...

F-16Bs flying near the Helgeland coast. These photos are part of a series documenting the last few months of service the F-16 will have in the Royal Norwegian Airforce before the type is completely phased out.

Mighty birds with a lot of years on their frames.

great clicks, mind telling telling us which camera , lenses, filters..... you shot with? any post processing on these images ?

 

[vargr]

Those that couldn't fit on the C-17, or were attached to personnel recovery and transport ops during the evac of the last few weeks flew on chartered SAS airliners out of Tblisi, Georgia after leaving Afghanistan on RNoAF C-130s.

 

[vargr]

KV Jan Mayen, the first of the new class of OPVs, is coming along nicely. If all goes to plan she should enter service next year.

The Jan Mayen class will replace the aging Nordkapp OPVs.

 

[vargr]

The old Nordkapp class OPVS, circa 1980s, are pretty small all things considered. 3200 tons in weight, 105m long, a couple small guns and space for depth bombs and anti-ship missiles. They're more like light frigates converted into OPVS.

The Jan Mayen class will be much, much larger. 136.4 meters long, 100+ crew compliment, twice a Nordkapp, 9,800 tons, nearly 3 times the mass of a Nordkapp. Like the Nordkapp class they will replace, the Jan Mayen class OPVs will support anti-ship missiles and depth bombs. All three Jan Mayen class ships will be rated ice-breakers.

At 136 meters and 9800 tons the Jan Mayen class will be almost 30% larger then the Svalbard class OPV, which is the Norwegian Coast Guard's current largest vessel.

 

[vargr]

The first RNoAF P-8.

 

[Gautam]

The first RNoAF P-8.

What is that logo on the tail ?!?! That's how I draw a human.

 

[randomradio]

What is that logo on the tail ?!?! That's how I draw a human.

The Saints. It's the name of their squadron. You can see the halo.

 

[vargr]

That's how I draw a human.

Lol. Me too.

What is that logo on the tail ?!?!

That my friend is the 333 ASW Squadon's unit badge "The Saint". Taken from a TV show called "The Saint" from the 1960s, the show's titular logo became a running gag in the RNoAF, and eventually the 333 Squadron's official wing marker. It's derpy, but fitting.

The unit's patch.

I'm not sure when the badge became official though, but it's been in use for at least as long as I've been alive.

The unit itself has been around since 1942.

 

[Gautam]

That my friend is the 333 ASW Squadon's unit badge "The Saint". Taken from a TV show called "The Saint" from the 1960s, the show's titular logo became a running gag in the RNoAF, and eventually the 333 Squadron's official wing marker. It's derpy, but fitting

Cool

The unit's patch.

This one is doing an Egyptian dance.

The unit itself has been around since 1942.

So the unit was active for 2 decades before the TV show. What was the unit badge/logo then ?

 

[vargr]

So the unit was active for 2 decades before the TV show.

Yup. The 333 Squadron is the longest active squadron in the RNoAF, and at one point as actually part of the British Royal Air Force. During that time the unit used a winged longship as its badge.

Each individual crew would have its own patch as well. However, the use of tail art is pretty new. Even in the early 2000s most Norwegian Aircraft either had a clean tail or just a Norwegian airforce insignia and unit number.

 

[vargr]

Only Norwegians look at Iceland and think it's a nice place to live.

 

[vargr]

F-35As take off from Evenes Air Base during exercise Falcon Deploy 2021.

Notice how they don't fly with external rails when flying locally? During forward deployments such as Icelandic Air Policing missions they fly with external rails and two AIM-9Xs.

 

[vargr]

More F-35 shots from Evenes Air Base.

 

[vargr]

The future KV Jan Mayen.

 

[vargr]