**Denmark Repatriates F-35 Joint Strike Fighters**
On Sunday, Denmark repatriated three F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, with a stopover in the Azores. This move marks the finalization of a workaround to address delivery delays from Lockheed Martin. In December, Denmark had already flown back four older-model aircraft.
The newly arrived jets landed at Skrydstrup Air Base, bringing Denmark’s local F-35 fleet to a total of 11 aircraft. A significant goal for this year is for these stealth fighters to start taking over air-policing duties from the nation’s aging F-16 jets.
**Delivery Delays from Lockheed Martin**
Last year, Lockheed Martin faced delivery delays for F-35 jets due to issues with the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) upgrade. This situation forced Denmark to explore alternatives to meet its F-35 rollout milestones and expand its fleet beyond the already repatriated four aircraft. Consequently, a decision was made in June to return the country’s training aircraft home from the U.S.
**Upcoming Milestones and Transition in Aircraft Use**
The Danish Defence Ministry has highlighted that a major milestone for the Air Force in 2025 is the F-35’s ability to occasionally replace the F-16s in maintaining “denial readiness.” The F-35s will be tasked with ensuring that two aircraft are ready to respond within minutes to any foreign aircraft approaching Danish airspace.
As of now, a total of 17 F-35 fighters have been delivered to Denmark as initially planned. This includes six jets from the production line in Fort Worth, Texas, which will replace the training aircraft stationed at Luke Air Force Base. Although Lockheed Martin resumed the delivery of F-35s in the TR-3 configuration last year, these new jets are still limited to training tasks.
**Future Orders and Upgrades**
Denmark has a total of 27 F-35 aircraft on order, with plans for the F-35 to gradually assume all operational tasks from the F-16s over the coming years. The Danish government expects the remaining aircraft deliveries in the TR-3 configuration to be completed by 2027.
The TR-3 upgrade, originally scheduled for summer 2023, includes enhancements such as improved cockpit displays and increased on-board computing power. This upgrade is intended to establish the foundation for a subsequent Block 4 upgrade, which will introduce additional weaponry and electronic warfare capabilities.
The Defence Ministry also noted in June that these delivery issues with the F-35s would not impact Denmark’s plans to donate F-16s to Ukraine.
**About the Author**
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He began his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on topics related to technology, commodity markets, and politics.