Gardermoen Air Station is located about 50 km north of Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. It is the location for the 135th Airwing and the 335th Squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force

Royal Norwegian Air Force

The Royal Norwegian Air Force is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian armed forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peace force is approximately 1,430 employees . 600 personnel also serve their draft period in the RNoAF...

, which currently operates two of the four recently procured C-130J-30 Super Hercules transport aircraft. In addition, the airfield is designed to handle the complex logistics of the air force, and is one of the most advanced C-130 installations in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. Also, Norway's main airport, Oslo Airport, Gardermoen

Oslo Airport, Gardermoen

Oslo Airport, Gardermoen is the principal airport serving Oslo, Norway. It acts as the main domestic hub and international airport for Norway, and the second-busiest airport in the Nordic countries. A hub for Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle, and a focus city for Widerøe, it is...

 is located near the air station.

The Air Force was considering moving its operations at Gardermoen to Rygge Air Station

Rygge Air Station

Rygge Air Station is located in the municipalities of Rygge and Råde in Østfold, Norway. The Royal Norwegian Air Force operates various squadron and aircraft at the airbase, including Sea King helicopters, F-5 Freedom Fighters, Dassault Falcon 20 aircraft as well as Bell 412 helicopters...

 by consent of the Chief of Defence of Norway

Chief of Defence of Norway

The Chief of Defence of Norway is the highest ranking officer of the Military of Norway, second only to the King of Norway. Even though he holds the same rank as the King of Norway, according to the Norwegian Constitution the King holds the highest command of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Home...

, General Sigurd Frisvold

Sigurd Frisvold

Sigurd Frisvold is a Norwegian general who served as Chief of Defence of Norway from 30 April 1999 until 1 April 2005.-Awards:...

 in the 2003-2004 period; however, this proposition was turned down by the Norwegian Parliament's Defence Committee. Thus, the air station currently remains operational.

History

The Norwegian Army

Norwegian Army

Norway achieved full independence in 1905, and in the first century of its short life has contributed to two major conflicts, the Cold War and the War on Terror. The Norwegian Army currently operates in the north of Norway and in Afghanistan as well as in Eastern Europe. The Army is the oldest of...

 started using Gardermoen as a camp already in 1740, when it was called Fredericksfeldt. The first place flight took place in 1912, and by 1920 there were multiple hangars at the airport.

During the German invasion of Norway during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the German bombed the airport, but built it up with two 2000-meter runways during the war.

The military airport was founded on December 1, 1996, with new installations for 1,2 billion NOK

Norwegian krone

The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...

. The airfield is built to easily expand cheaply and fast whenever needed. On October 8, 1998 the main airport serving Oslo was moved from Fornebu

Oslo Airport, Fornebu

Oslo Airport, Fornebu was the main airport serving Oslo and Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and the area has since been redeveloped. The airport was located at Fornebu in Bærum, from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one...

 to Gardermoen. The new airport had among other facilities two runway

Runway

According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...

s.

External links

• Air Force page on Gardermoen Air Station (in Norwegian)