The Royal Danish Air Force officially retired its last F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft on January 18, 2026, ending one of the longest and most symbolic chapters in the country’s combat aviation history.
These aircraft have been defending Denmark’s airspace for approximately 46 years, making it a fifth-generation fighter aircraft. F-35 Lightning IIThe transition to a new type of electric power has been completely completed.
The retirement ceremony was held at Scrydstrup Air Force Base and was attended by Air Force Chief of the Air Force Jan Dam (Major General) and Director of the Defense Procurement Service Per Pugholm Olsen (Lieutenant General). This event was made public through the Danish Defense Procurement Agency.
Almost half a century of operation
Denmark’s first F-16 arrived in the country on January 18, 1980. Throughout the program, the Royal Danish Air Force acquired a total of 77 F-16As and F-16Bs through two major acquisitions, and ordered two more to replace aircraft that were retired early.
In the late 1970s, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands, as participating European air forces, sought a successor to the F-104 Starfighter. These countries became the first international customers for the F-16 and participated in a multinational fighter jet development program with the United States.
According to industrial agreements, aircraft for European countries were produced on the continent. Denmark’s first batch of F-16s was assembled at SABCA in Belgium, and the second batch was shipped from the Fokker production line in the Netherlands.
The initial order was for the Block 1 standard airframe consisting of 46 single-seat F-16As and 12 double-seat F-16Bs, and deliveries began in January 1980. In August 1984, 12 additional Block 15 aircraft (8 F-16A, 4 F-16B) with extended tails were ordered to replace the aircraft that were worn out due to intensive operation, and these were manufactured by Fokker.
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Transition to F-35
To replace its aging fleet, Denmark introduced 27 F-35A fighter jets. The last aircraft produced in the United States are scheduled to be delivered sequentially during 2026, and all aircraft screedstrup stationed at the base. At the base, construction of dedicated infrastructure for the new fighter jet has already been completed.
Denmark has participated in the F-35 program since 1997. After an evaluation conducted from 2013 to 2016, the government officially recommended the introduction of at least 27 units in May 2016. Congress approved the program budget in 2017, and the project is planned to run until 2026.
Denmark’s first F-35A was delivered directly from Lockheed Martin on April 7, 2021. Denmark has since decided to introduce an additional 16 aircraft, further strengthening its air defense and power projection capabilities within the NATO framework.
With the retirement of the F-16, Denmark ends decades of interoperability and readiness, while also solidifying its entry into the most advanced fighter generation.
Source and image: Danish Ministry of Defense Equipment and Procurement (Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse) – Facebook @FMI. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
