OSLO, Nov 14, SPA -- Norwegians tend to want theirgovernment to buy Sweden's Gripen combat fighter planes insteadof the American F-35, an opinion poll showed on Friday, reported reuters. Although the poll did not ask people why they preferred oneplane to another, the outcome seems to signal that manyNorwegians favour boosting Scandinavian defence cooperation andloosening dependence on the U.S. defence industry. NATO member Norway aims to decide by the end of the year ona purchase of 48 jet fighters to replace ageing F-16s, needed tobetter control its vast territories in the Arctic, a regionwhere Russia has increased military activities in recent years. The deal, expected to be worth as much as $14 billion overthe lifetime of the planes, will be the biggest defenceinvestment ever made by the Nordic nation of 4.8 million people. Among Norwegians who had an opinion, most supported buyingthe Swedish jet, although "don't knows" outnumbered both thosein favour of the Gripen and those preferring the F-35, the pollfor 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 JointStrike Fighter produced by Lockheed Martin, and 45 percent hadno opinion on the matter, NRK reported. The survey by the Norstat polling agency showed thatsupporters of the opposition Conservative Party wanted Norway tochoose the American jet, which would mark a continuation ofdecades of Norwegian-U.S. cooperation in defence procurement. Most supporters of other parties wanted the Swedishalternative. Saab and Swedish politicians have said that if Norway choosesthe Gripen, it would herald a new era in closer defencecooperation between the neighbouring Scandinavian countries. Many leftist Norwegians support that idea. Some Norwegian media reports have also said the F-35 willcost much more than the Gripen, though U.S. officials have saidsuch reports are unfounded and based on unfair comparisons. The manufacturers and the government have been tight-lippedabout the price tag for the planes, partly because the cost willhinge on industrial cooperation agreements as part of theprocurement package. Estimates mentioned in Norwegian media put costs of theaircraft at 40-60 billion crowns ($5.62 billion - $8.43 billion)and total costs of ownership over the lifetime of the planes atup 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 coalitionpartners, 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 decidedby whichever is technically the best plane." --SPA REUTERS 1301 141108 www.spa.gov.sa/607416