Denmark Retired Its F-16 Fleet: A Look Back at Its Aviation Assets History

The Royal Danish Air Force has officially retired its last F-16 fighter jets, which protected Denmark’s airspace for nearly 46 years.

The announcement was made by the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation.

A formal farewell ceremony was held at Skrydstrup Air Base.

The event was attended by Major General Jan Dam, Chief of the Air Force, and Lieutenant General Per Pugholm Olsen, Head of the Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation.

History of Denmark’s F-16s

The first Danish F-16 arrived in the country on 18 January 1980. In total, the Royal Danish Air Force acquired 77 F-16A/B aircraft in two major batches, along with two additional orders to replace aircraft that were retired prematurely.

In the late 1970s, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands – known as the European Participating Air Forces (EPAF) – began searching for a replacement for the F-104 Starfighter.

These countries became the first international customers of the F-16 and, together with the United States, took part in the multinational fighter development program.

Under the agreement, F-16 aircraft for EPAF countries were to be manufactured in Europe. Danish F-16s from the first and second orders were assembled on production lines operated by SABCA in Belgium and Fokker in the Netherlands, respectively.

The initial order consisted of 46 single-seat F-16A and 12 two-seat F-16B aircraft. Final assembly was carried out at the SABCA plant, and all aircraft conformed to the Block 1 standard. Deliveries began on 28 January 1980 with the arrival of the first F-16B.

After discussions about acquiring 24 additional aircraft to replace the aging Saab Drakens – a plan that was ultimately not implemented – Denmark ordered 12 Block 15 aircraft with extended tails in August 1984: 8 single-seat F-16A and 4 two-seat F-16B fighter jets.

Unlike the initial batch, these aircraft were produced by Fokker in the Netherlands and were intended to replace worn-out airframes.

Transition to the F-35

Denmark has purchased 27 multirole F-35 fighter jets to replace its F-16 fleet.

The last U.S.-built aircraft are expected to be delivered to the Royal Danish Air Force in 2026. All of them will be based at Skrydstrup Air Base, where the required infrastructure has already been established.

Denmark has been participating in the F-35 fifth-generation fighter development program since 1997.

Following an evaluation conducted between 2013 and 2016, on 12 May 2016 the Danish government recommended the purchase of at least 27 F-35A aircraft.

In 2017, the Danish Parliament approved the budget for the program, which is scheduled to run through 2026.

Denmark received its first F-35A on 7 April 2021 at the Lockheed Martin facility.

The country has now decided to procure an additional 16 aircraft to further expand its fleet.