The F-35 will gradually replace the F-16 in the RDAF, starting from the air intercept duties as part of NATO’s QRA service, achieving the Initial Operational Capability.
Denmark’s Defence Command announced on Mar. 17, 2025, that its F-35As will soon begin taking over interception and air patrols in support of NATO from Apr. 1, 2025, gradually replacing its older F-16s that previously held the role. The Forsvaret said that the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) can now “send F-35s […] to repel foreign nations’ aircraft and assert Denmark’s sovereignty in the airspace.”
Senior Danish defence and RDAF (Royal Danish Air Force) officials made the announcement at Skrydstrup air base, home to the Fighter Wing to which the F-35As are assigned. The statement used the terms “repulse preparedness” and “rejection readiness” referring to the QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) duties.
“It will not be F-35s every time from day one, but F-35s will gradually be deployed instead of F-16s,” the release further mentioned. The statement quoted Acting Chief of Defence Michael Hyldgaard: “The F-35 provides a strategic advantage that can both deter threats and defend our territory and interests, and the aircraft increases the defense’s ability to operate effectively with NATO allies and future partners in the F-35 program.”
The take over of the QRA duties is only the beginning of the transition. “The plan is for the F-35 to gradually take over all tasks from the F-16 aircraft over the coming years,” said the Forsvaret statement.
I dag markerede fungerende forsvarschef Michael Hyldgaard, at F-35 fra den 1. april er klar til gradvist at overtage afvisningsberedskabet fra F-16. Læs mere: https://t.co/mdThd7a1bQ pic.twitter.com/qktYhucDRL
— Forsvaret (@forsvaretdk) March 17, 2025
As previously reported by The Aviationist, Denmark currently has a total fleet of 17 F-35As out of the 27 airframes ordered, whose deliveries started in 2021. Three of the jets arrived at the country’s Skrydstrup Air Force Station, in southern Jutland, on Jan. 12, 2025.
However, these were essentially repatriations of the first aircraft delivered to the RDAF, but stationed since 2021 at Luke AFB, Arizona, for the training of pilots and ground crews. This implied that the aircraft at Luke AFB were being replaced by newer ones, as Danish F-35s are built at Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Fort Worth, Texas.
F-35s ready for air interceptions
Hyldgaard said to attending journalists at Skrydstrup that it was a “great day” and that Denmark, the Danish Defence Forces and Skrydstrup “should be proud.” He also mentioned that “Denmark will soon achieve initial operational capability with the F-35.”
“This means that the F-35 fighter jets can be included in the operational task force, including the interception readiness,” explained Hyldgaard. “It has been a long and complicated process. Many have been involved in getting there,” he added.
The statement also touched upon setting up the physical infrastructure and facilities needed to handle and operate the F-35s. The Danish Air Command chief, Maj. Gen. Jan Dam, said that they had been looking forward to operationalizing the F-35s.
“Building the large F-35 complex, furnishing the buildings, training mechanics, planners, weapons personnel and pilots in parallel with the phasing out of the F-16 are all challenges that we have had to navigate,” said Dam. “But our partners and employees have worked purposefully and professionally to make this happen. And now here we are in 2025 with a new fighter aircraft capacity that is ready to deliver combat power. I am proud of that.”
The ceremony also saw an F-35A parked in the background, tail number “L-006”. This airframe was previously assigned to Luke AFB, where it was delivered on Jun. 27, 2022, according to F-16.net. Another F-35 could also be seen flying in a low-pass over the runway.
The first F-35A reached Denmark on Sep. 14, 2023, nearly two-and-a-half years after the service received its first stealth jet, L-001, on Apr. 7, 2021. Then, on Dec. 6, 2024, L-001 was one of the four F-35As that arrived in Denmark from the U.S., taking the total in-country fleet to 11 aircraft, while six will stay at Luke.
Replacing the F-16s
Denmark had long announced the intention to replace its older F-16A/B MLU aircraft in 2025, and was among other European countries which wanted to retire the Fighting Falcon and donate some of them to Ukraine. The first Danish F-16s reached Ukraine in Aug. 2024.
Denmark is also in the process of selling 24 of its F-16s to the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina/FAA) as a part of a $300 million deal. The first F-16B reached the South American country on Dec. 16, 2024, and was recently presented after being reassembled.
The first F-35 arrived in Denmark today at 14.09 CET! The transition from F-16 to F-35 marks a new era of Danish air defense. The new fighter jets’ stealth technology, radar technology and cutting-edge sensors will bolster 🇩🇰 and Allied security #StrongerTogether #Værdatkæmpefor pic.twitter.com/xPcHzVGl1I
— Denmark at NATO (@DK_NATO) September 14, 2023
Danish F-16 QRA missions played a vital role in NATO’s tracking and intercepting of Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea, with two aircraft always on standby at Skrydstrup Air Force Base. The F-16s were also often based in Lithuania as part of the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission. As mentioned, the RDAF now wants the F-35s to take over this role.
Challenges in the transition to the F-35
In its statement announcing the arrival of the three F-35s to Denmark in January, the Danish Defence Command said the F-35 will gradually replace the F-16 aircraft for the task of “maintaining rejection readiness” as part of NATO’s QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) duties to protect the country’s airspace. “The F-35 will thus take on the task of having two aircraft ready to take off in a few minutes and reject foreign aircraft approaching Danish airspace,” said the statement.
The Forsvaret’s Dec. 2024 press release about the arrival of four more F-35As quoted Colonel Kim Jensen, commander of Fighter Wing Skrydstrup, who said the task was to progress from the “basic flying training” to maintaining “the level we have learned in the USA,” as well as specific scenarios ”in relation to what we will actually need the F-35 for in the future.”
“Since the first four F-35s arrived in Denmark in September 2023, the phasing-in and getting used to using the aircraft here has been in full swing. Although all pilots and technicians have previously undergone F-35 conversion training in the USA, changing work equipment on a daily basis at Fighter Wing Skrydstrup is a comprehensive task,” added the release.
