Last week, a new batch of four F-35A fighters arrived in the hands of the Danish Air Force from the United States, enabling the country to advance its process of replacing its F-16 fighters. Specifically, these aircraft were assigned to the Fighter Wing at Flyvestation Skrydstrup, the main base for Denmark’s combat aircraft, which has long been preparing to expand the number of operational units.
According to the official statement from the Danish Ministry of Defense, this development means that the country’s Air Force now has eight F-35A stealth fighters stationed on its territory, while awaiting the delivery of three more in the near future. It is worth recalling that Copenhagen ordered a total of 27 fifth-generation aircraft, a fleet expected to be fully delivered by 2027 to ensure the timely retirement of the F-16.
Regarding the arrival of the aircraft, Colonel Kim Jensen, head of the Skrydstrup Fighter Wing, stated: “The arrival of more aircraft at Skrydstrup means we can move from basic flight training to maintaining the level we’ve learned in the U.S. and start training more people. At the same time, we can begin training in broader scenarios and more specifically in relation to how we will actually use the F-35 in the future.”
Additionally, it is worth noting that Denmark has another half dozen fighters stationed at Luke Air Force Base in the United States, serving to train future platform pilots alongside their American counterparts. Earlier this year, there was speculation that this group of F-35 fighters might be repatriated to the Nordic country, given the significant delays Lockheed Martin has encountered in implementing its TR-3 upgrade to which the Danish aircraft were to be elevated; as of now, this repatriation has not yet materialized.
Finally, it is important to highlight that, alongside the arrival of the four new fighters, Denmark recently celebrated the U.S. approval of a potential sale of 200 AIM-120D-3 missiles to equip them. If finalized, this would represent a significant investment of approximately $744 million, providing Danish pilots with the ability to engage targets equipped with electronic countermeasures systems, thus enhancing their combat lethality. With these steps taken to build a modern combat aircraft force, the country expects the F-35A to begin undertaking some missions currently carried out by the F-16 starting next year.
Image credits: Forsvaret
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