The first Danish Air Force F-35 fighter, tail number L-001, will be ready for delivery in April this year after rolling off Lockheed Martin’s production line in Fort Worth, Texas.
Before delivery, the aircraft will receive final touches at the aircraft final finish facility that will include a stealth coating and national insignia.
Denmark will receive 27 new fighter jets between 2021 and 2026. However, despite delivery in 2021, L-001 will arrive at Denmark’s Skrydstrup air base in 2023. Prior to arriving in Denmark, the first Danish F-35 will be used to train Danish Air Force pilots. The first Danish pilot already flew the F-35 at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona earlier this month.
The F-35 is phasing out the F-16, which has been in service since the 1980s.
Denmark has been part of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) development work since 1997, securing early involvement of Danish industry in the program. In 2007, the Danish side signed the JSF co-operation agreement, and from 2013-2016, Denmark implemented the type selection process, which culminated in a political agreement to procure the F-35.
