Home Air Denmark receives two more F-35s, taking total fleet to six

Denmark receives two more F-35s, taking total fleet to six

Royal Danish Air Force F-35A
Photo: Danish defense ministry

Denmark has taken delivery of an additional two new F-35 fighter jets, which landed at Luke Air Force Base in the United States.

Denmark now has a total of six F-35s, having received its first airframe in April 2021.

A Danish reception team is now in the process of reviewing the two aircraft that carry the tail numbers L005 and L006. The review is a meticulous registration of all parts, so everything is documented.

Just like their predecessors, the two new aircraft will also be stationed at Luke Air Force Base in the USA, where they will be used for the training of Danish personnel.

Even though the first airframe was delivered over a year ago, Denmark will welcome the first F-35A on its soil in 2023.

Denmark’s F-35 program of record calls for 27 F-35A aircraft, each of which will be built at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth.

Denmark’s industry is represented in the F-35 Lightning II program by two Danish companies, Terma A/S and Multicut A/S, who currently make parts such as pylons, advanced composites, software solutions, radar components and horizontal tail edges for every F-35 delivered.

The country is keeping its fifth-generation fighters in the US to avoid investments into costly training and training infrastructure such as buildings, training equipment, maintenance equipment and services. With this move, Danish pilots also gain unique experience through close cooperation with their more experienced counterparts from the US armed forces.

Denmark’s defense ministry has noted in the past that it retains the option to transfer the F-35s home at short notice, should the security situation deteriorate.