Hi-Lo mix for Norway?

Hi,

In a Norwegian net forum I have presented a rather peculiar idea; I am reproducing it here to hear what people on this forum thinks.

Norway turned down Gripen NG and chose F-35; the committee also recommended that Norway should buy 56 not 48 F-35 as originally anticipated. These will most likely be placed on one airbase (Ørlandet); Bodø air station will most likely be turned into a forward base.

I’m suggesting that instead of buying 56 F-35 we should get 48 F-35 and combine with 16-24 Gripen NG in a kind of Hi-Lo mix. Seems terribly expensive, however one crucial element to make this “affordable” would be to station all the Norwegian Gripens across the border on the Swedish F7 airbase, and outsource all training, basing and maintainance to Sweden. The pilots, the planes and the munitions would be Norwegian.

Bodøy would be a forward base for both F-35 and Gripen NG.

This will have some advantages:

1. Norway gets one additional air base at a low cost, which is located in the South and covers southern Norway much better than Ørlandet. (distance F7 -Oslo: 200 km; Ørlandet – Oslo: 430 km)

2. We can shift the in-phasing of F-35 some years, getting a later block and remove any risks for delays

3. We get additional industrial offsets — (Industry preferred Gripen to F-35 due to the better offset deals offered; having both seem ideal to me)

4. We could choose which a/c to use for each mission; QRA in the Baltics or Iceland? Send the NG! Bomb stuff protected by S-300/400? Send the F-35!

I am a bit worried about having only one air base in the country, even if having a “forward base” in Bodø helps.

I know, this idea is crazy, and it got “shot down” quickly in the Norwegian forum, however I am curious if I will get the same counter-arguments in this forum.