Denmark to retire its F-16 fighter jets ahead of schedule to expedite their transfer to Ukraine

Denmark’s Ministry of Defense will retire its fleet of the F-16 fighter jets two years earlier than expected.

The Danish publication DR reports.

Previously, the Royal Danish Air Force was supposed to begin the process of decommissioning the F-16s in 2027.

“Now that we have taken the step of starting a training and education programme for the Ukrainian pilots, we will also have to consider whether we should make a specific donation of Danish F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and how many there should be,” Troels Lund Poulsen, Acting Minister of Defense of Denmark said

According to him, Ukrainian pilots must first undergo 6-8 months of training on fighter jets of this type, then the country will decide on the transfer of a specific number of these fighters.

Such a decision needs to be discussed, because the F-16 fighter jets will remain in service with the Royal Danish Air Force until the end of 2024.

Decommissioning aircraft will require additional funding to store them until transfer.

As Militarnyi reported, last week the United States received a request from Denmark to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 fighter jets.

The request is now under review, according to the Pentagon spokesperson.

It is expected that the training of Ukrainians on the F-16 fighters will begin somewhere in Europe.

History of the Danish F-16s

The Royal Danish Air Force has been receiving the F-16 fighter jets since January 28, 1980, with the acceptance into service of the first F-16B. The initial order was placed for 46 F-16A and 12 F-16B Block 1 standards of Belgian production at the SABCA plant. It was divided into two large parties.

58 aircraft from the priority order were later upgraded to Block 10 standard at the Royal Danish Air Force’s local workshops in Aalborg under the Pacer Loft I program.

In 1984, Denmark ordered a second batch of 12 F-16 Block 15 fighters. The Dutch company Fokker was already engaged in the production of the second batch for Denmark.