Milestone for Denmark as first F-35A takes flight
First Royal Danish Air Force F-35A takes to the skies, with 26 more to follow in the years ahead.
Denmark has become the fifth NATO air force in Europe to add the F-35 Lightning II to its fleet, following Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK.
The F-35A is set to be a game changer for Denmark, allowing the RDAF to train and fight alongside NATO allies and create a strong deterrent.
While the Danish milestone is an encouraging sign, the F-35 programme has still not entered full-rate production in the US because of problems in maturing the Joint Simulation Environment simulator that is required to complete initial operational testing of the fighter.
The F-35 also faces renewed scrutiny from Congress in 2021 and there is speculation that the UK will decide to procure 90 fewer aircraft than originally planned.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force]()
M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force
The Leonardo M-345 High-Efficiency Trainer (HET) basic/advanced trainer is similar to the M-346, which is the second part of the Italian Air Force’s training system, but is a substantially smaller and less powerful aircraft.
-
![Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025]()
Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025
The first aircraft delivery timeline confirmation comes as Belgium weighs up an additional F-3A buy from Lockheed Martin.
-
![Trump’s drone directives win US industry support but questions remain over ability to challenge Chinese market dominance]()
Trump’s drone directives win US industry support but questions remain over ability to challenge Chinese market dominance
New presidential directives for UAV production are intended to remove bureaucratic barriers and support suppliers.
-
![Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training]()
Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training
In Conversation... Shephard's Gerrard Cowan talks to CAE's Marc-Olivier Sabourin about how the training and simulation industry can help militaries achieve essential levels of readiness by leveraging new technology, innovative procurement methods and a truly collaborative approach.
-
![Paris Air Show 2025: Airbus Helicopters unveils new crewed-uncrewed teaming solution]()
Paris Air Show 2025: Airbus Helicopters unveils new crewed-uncrewed teaming solution
The solution, named HTeaming, has already been tested in flight with a Spanish Navy H135 helicopter and an Airbus Flexrotor uncrewed aerial system (UAS).
