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Bardufoss Air Station
Bardufoss Air Station (IATA: BDU, ICAO: ENDU) (Norwegian: Bardufoss flystasjon) is a military air station located at Bardufoss in Målselv Municipality in Troms county in Northern Norway. It is the location of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) 139 Air Wing and two helicopter squadrons; the 337 Squadron that operated Lynx MK 86 for the Norwegian Coast Guard, the 334 Squadron that operated NHIndustries NH90 and the 339 Squadron equipped with Bell 412SPs. It is also the base for the RNoAF Flight Training School.
Both the 337 Squadron and the 334 Squadron are not operating helicopters due to major problems with the phasing-in of NH90. It was decided to terminate the contract for the purchase of the helicopters in June 2022. The 337 Squadron will be equipped with MH60-Seahawk that are planned to be delivered between 2026–2027.
The air station is co-located on the same site as the commercial Bardufoss Airport. The airbase is also used by the civilian community: Norwegian Aviation College (NAC) is located at the airport, and there is also a flying club (Bardufoss Flyklubb) and a parachute jumping club. Norwegian Air Shuttle currently operates three daily flights with Boeing 737 aircraft from Bardufoss Airport to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen.
The first plane to land at the air station was a de Havilland Tiger Moth on 26 March 1938, making it the country's oldest air station still operational. During World War II, RAF Gloster Gladiators (No. 263 Squadron RAF) and Hawker Hurricanes (No. 46 Squadron RAF) operating from Bardufoss played a vital part in keeping the Luftwaffe at bay during the fighting on the Narvik front in the April–June 1940 Norwegian Campaign. After the Allied withdrawal from Norway, the airbase was taken over by the Germans and mostly used as a base for fighters, bombers and reconnaissance planes operating against the Murmansk convoys. Fighters from Bardufoss also had the task of providing aerial support for naval operations in the area.
When British Avro Lancasters began to bomb the battleship Tirpitz on 12 November 1944 in Operation Catechism at Håkøya near Tromsø, calls to Bardufoss failed to save the ship. The fighters failed to scramble in time and Tirpitz was sunk in ten minutes by two Tallboy bombs. Luftwaffe ace Heinrich Ehrler was originally stripped of command and sentenced to three years in prison because of this. He later died in combat when he rammed an American B-17 Flying Fortress over Germany.
The 339 Squadron was moved to Bardufoss in 1964 while the 337 Squadron arrived in 1983.
The Royal Norwegian Air Force Flight Training School was moved to Bardufoss from Trondheim Airport, Værnes in 2003.
2024: The Air Force uses the Underground hangar at the air station, after 40 years, to receive F-35 fighter jets.
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Bardufoss Air Station
Bardufoss Air Station (IATA: BDU, ICAO: ENDU) (Norwegian: Bardufoss flystasjon) is a military air station located at Bardufoss in Målselv Municipality in Troms county in Northern Norway. It is the location of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) 139 Air Wing and two helicopter squadrons; the 337 Squadron that operated Lynx MK 86 for the Norwegian Coast Guard, the 334 Squadron that operated NHIndustries NH90 and the 339 Squadron equipped with Bell 412SPs. It is also the base for the RNoAF Flight Training School.
Both the 337 Squadron and the 334 Squadron are not operating helicopters due to major problems with the phasing-in of NH90. It was decided to terminate the contract for the purchase of the helicopters in June 2022. The 337 Squadron will be equipped with MH60-Seahawk that are planned to be delivered between 2026–2027.
The air station is co-located on the same site as the commercial Bardufoss Airport. The airbase is also used by the civilian community: Norwegian Aviation College (NAC) is located at the airport, and there is also a flying club (Bardufoss Flyklubb) and a parachute jumping club. Norwegian Air Shuttle currently operates three daily flights with Boeing 737 aircraft from Bardufoss Airport to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen.
The first plane to land at the air station was a de Havilland Tiger Moth on 26 March 1938, making it the country's oldest air station still operational. During World War II, RAF Gloster Gladiators (No. 263 Squadron RAF) and Hawker Hurricanes (No. 46 Squadron RAF) operating from Bardufoss played a vital part in keeping the Luftwaffe at bay during the fighting on the Narvik front in the April–June 1940 Norwegian Campaign. After the Allied withdrawal from Norway, the airbase was taken over by the Germans and mostly used as a base for fighters, bombers and reconnaissance planes operating against the Murmansk convoys. Fighters from Bardufoss also had the task of providing aerial support for naval operations in the area.
When British Avro Lancasters began to bomb the battleship Tirpitz on 12 November 1944 in Operation Catechism at Håkøya near Tromsø, calls to Bardufoss failed to save the ship. The fighters failed to scramble in time and Tirpitz was sunk in ten minutes by two Tallboy bombs. Luftwaffe ace Heinrich Ehrler was originally stripped of command and sentenced to three years in prison because of this. He later died in combat when he rammed an American B-17 Flying Fortress over Germany.
The 339 Squadron was moved to Bardufoss in 1964 while the 337 Squadron arrived in 1983.
The Royal Norwegian Air Force Flight Training School was moved to Bardufoss from Trondheim Airport, Værnes in 2003.
2024: The Air Force uses the Underground hangar at the air station, after 40 years, to receive F-35 fighter jets.