As the global fleet grows as does the F-35's crucial responsibilities to strengthen national security. Norway’s F-35s officially took command of the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) mission on January 6 and ended the F-16 fleet’s 42 year-long mission serving Norway and NATO. The QRA mission means that Norway always has its F-35s “ready to go.” If unknown aircraft come close to Norwegian – and NATO – airspace, the F-35s are scrambled and airborne within 15 minutes to find, observe and document the trespasser. Read more about this Norwegian F-35 milestone