there was need for additional fighters in Bodø, the 339 Squadron of F-86Ks was transferred from Gardermoen Air Station in September. With these realignments, the air station was rebuilt and expanded to handle more aircraft. In case a war broke out between NATO and the Soviet Union, the fighter aircraft stationed in Bodø were to support NATO's Atomic Strike Plan, which would see US Strategic Air Command (SAC) bomber aircraft drop nuclear warheads over the base of the Soviet Northern Fleet. Norwegian fighter pilots trained on techniques for dropping nuclear bombs, but the battle plans called for them to be used for reconnaissance and precision bombing of radar and communications targets with conventional bombs. With the introduction of intercontinental ballistic missiles, SAC's interest for Bodø dwindled from 1959. Norway agreed in 1955 that both US and UK reconnaissance flights could operate out of Bodø and other northern airports, given they not violate Soviet air space. American U-2 aircraft, used for high-altitude reconnaissance over Soviet territory, were first operated out of Bodø in 1958. The U-2 shoot-down on 1 May 1960, where the aircraft was heading for Bodø, had a severe negative impact on Norway's relations both with the Soviet Union and the United States. In the aftermath, Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev threatened to bomb Bodø Main Air Station as he regarded it as a strategic target. This was the first Soviet threat of targeting Norway with nuclear weapons. SAC was given thirty days to withdraw its communications personnel from Bodø and prohibited allies from using Norwegian airports for flights in international airspace east of the 24th meridian east. Minister of Defense Gudmund Harlem withdrew on 18 February 1961, largely because of his lack of control over Colonel Vilhelm Evang at Bodø and his liberal permissions to US reconnaissance missions. Evang on his side had given permission largely because of misleading information from the Central Intelligence Agency regarding the nature of their missions. The 332 Squadron switched to F-86K in 1962 and relocated a substantial portion of the Bodø aircraft. Squadrons 334 and 339 were merged in April 1963, with 334 responsible for operations and 339 for the technical aspects. 339 was closed later in 1963. On 7 August, the first thirteen F-104 Starfighters were delivered to Bodø. The increased noise, especially from use of afterburners during take-off, resulted in significantly more noise pollution in town and became a major