Norway picks U.S. combat jet over Swedish rival

Norway will buy 48 of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, in a deal worth about $2.54 billion, instead of Swedish Saab's Gripen to replace its ageing F-16 warplanes.

The deal is the biggest defence investment in NATO member Norway's history, and the government said that total costs over the lifetime of the aircraft are estimated at 145 billion Norwegian crowns ($20.43 billion).

Norway says that it needs new-generation jets partly to monitor its large northern seaboard, where Russia has boosted military activities in recent years.

Read more