Norwegians tend to want their government to buy Sweden's Gripen combat fighter planes instead of the American F-35, an opinion poll showed on Friday, reported reuters. Although the poll did not ask people why they preferred one plane to another, the outcome seems to signal that many Norwegians favour boosting Scandinavian defence cooperation and loosening dependence on the U.S. defence industry. NATO member Norway aims to decide by the end of the year on a purchase of 48 jet fighters to replace ageing F-16s, needed to better control its vast territories in the Arctic, a region where Russia has increased military activities in recent years. The deal, expected to be worth as much as $14 billion over the lifetime of the planes, will be the biggest defence investment ever made by the Nordic nation of 4.8 million people. Among Norwegians who had an opinion, most supported buying the Swedish jet, although "don't knows" outnumbered both those in favour of the Gripen and those preferring the F-35, the poll for national broadcaster NRK showed. Thirty-seven percent said they wanted Norway to buy Saab's Gripen, 18 percent supported the F-35, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter produced by Lockheed Martin, and 45 percent had no opinion on the matter, NRK reported. The survey by the Norstat polling agency showed that supporters of the opposition Conservative Party wanted Norway to choose the American jet, which would mark a continuation of decades of Norwegian-U.S. cooperation in defence procurement. Most supporters of other parties wanted the Swedish alternative. Saab and Swedish politicians have said that if Norway chooses the Gripen, it would herald a new era in closer defence cooperation between the neighbouring Scandinavian countries. Many leftist Norwegians support that idea. Some Norwegian media reports have also said the F-35 will cost much more than the Gripen, though U.S. officials have said such reports are unfounded and based on unfair comparisons. The manufacturers and the government have been tight-lipped about the price tag for the planes, partly because the cost will hinge on industrial cooperation agreements as part of the procurement package. Estimates mentioned in Norwegian media put costs of the aircraft at 40-60 billion crowns ($5.62 billion - $8.43 billion) and total costs of ownership over the lifetime of the planes at up to over 100 billion crowns ($14.04 billion). The Labour-led coalition government has said it will buy the "best plane at the best price." The Socialist Left (SV) party, one of two junior coalition partners, has made it clear that it favours the Swedish jet. But opposition Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg said: "This will not be decided by opinion polls, it will be decided by whichever is technically the best plane."
