Norway buys 2 US-built Joint Strike Fighter jets

Norway on Friday ordered the first two fighter jets of an expected combined order of 52 from Lockheed Martin's troubled Joint Strike Fighter program as it embarked on a 2008 plan to replace its aging fleet of F-16 combat aircraft.

Defense Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement that the F-35A Lightning II jets are expected to arrive in 2015, with a further 50 aircraft expected to follow two years later at a total cost of 60 billion kroner ($10 billion).

"This marks a key milestone in the Norwegian F-35 program, and the beginning of the largest public procurement in Norwegian history," Barth Eide said.

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