Denmark expanded its fleet of stealth fighter jets on Thursday by taking delivery of four more F-35 fighter jets. Fifteen of the 27 F-35 fighter jets the country has ordered are currently on Danish soil, with six of the aircraft stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for training purposes. The remaining six are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 15.
Four new jets joined the fleet at Skrydstrup air base on a delivery flight from Lockheed Martin factories in Texas via the Azores, according to a statement from the Danish Ministry of Defence.
Commander of the Royal Danish Air ForceMaj. Gen. Jan Dam expressed his satisfaction with the delivery, saying, “With the receipt of four more aircraft yesterday, we took another step towards building the combat capability of the F-35 fighter jet.”
Delays in Deliveries and Their Effects
Deliveries of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 jets were delayed last year due to issues with the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) upgrade. This led Denmark to explore different options to meet its F-35 deployment targets and expand its fleet, ultimately leading to the decision to bring the trainers back to the country in June.
The Defense Department says that while the government was initially advised that delivery delays could impact F-35 program milestones, “the outlook is now different.”
The Role of F-35s and Future Plans
The Danish Air Force has begun using F-16s to take over some air policing duties from its aging F-35 fleet. The new jets successfully flew their first mission to intercept a Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea in late March. The country plans to phase out the F-2025s for air defense by the end of 16.
Danish F-35s participated in NATO's Ramstein Flag exercise between March and April, marking their first major exercise. Denmark has also pledged to donate F-16s to Ukraine as part of a coalition with the Netherlands and Norway.
