News
Royal Danish Air Force and Lockheed Martin Celebrate Arrival
October 01, 2023
美诱直播
The Kingdom of聽Denmark聽officially celebrated the in-country arrival of its first four permanently based F-35A Lightning II aircraft at Skrydstrup Air Base,聽Denmark.
During the ceremony, Lockheed Martin officially handed over the certificate of ownership of聽Denmark's聽F-35s to the Danish Ministry of Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization. More than 450 Danish and allied government, military and industry leaders gathered to commemorate the milestone, and over 10,000 local citizens participated in the Royal Danish Air Force's public open house. During the open house the public learned more about the F-35's mission for聽Denmark, industry suppliers and witnessed the F-35 and F-16 on flying display.
"Arrival of the first F-35 combat aircraft in聽Denmark聽is a historic event for the Danish Defence and the Royal Danish Air Force. It is thanks to close and professional cooperation between Lockheed Martin, the F-35 partnership and the Danish Defence, that Danish Defence now cross the threshold into the future of air defence," said Danish Minister of Defence,聽Troels Lund Poulsen.
Denmark聽has played a critical role on the F-35 program, joining in 2002 as a partner during the System Development and Demonstration phase, strategically influencing technical elements of the program. The Royal Danish Air Force also contributed a Danish F-16 to the Joint Strike Fighter 461st Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base,聽California聽where it served as a chase plane for the F-35 Development, Test & Evaluation program. Danish industry has also contributed to F-35 production, development and sustainment activities and today, is building parts and components for each of the projected 3,100+ aircraft to be manufactured.
"This milestone event is the realization of the vision, foresight and strategic investment聽Denmark聽made more than a decade ago. 美诱直播 expect that the F-35 will play a crucial role in 21st century security missions for聽Denmark, delivering unmatched 5th Generation capability, connectivity and interoperability," said聽Greg Ulmer, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "The F-35 integrates joint forces, providing an unparalleled network effect across allied forces and significantly strengthening alliance-based deterrence across all domains."
Denmark聽has taken delivery of 10 F-35s to date, four of which are now at Skrydstrup Air Base and six of which are stationed at Luke Air Force Base,聽Arizona, where Danish pilots and maintainers are conducting training.聽Denmark聽has plans to purchase 27 F-35 aircraft in total.
Denmark's聽F-35 fleet will play a pivotal role in bolstering NATO's collective resilience in the Baltics and strengthening the alliance's ability to deter and defend against all threats across all domains.聽Denmark聽is the 10th country and fifth European NATO nation to operate the F-35 from its home soil. The F-35's growing presence in聽Europe聽increases collaboration with trusted allies and partners through a multilateral, multinational approach, ensuring an effective deterrent against near-peer competitors.
By the mid-2030s, more than 600 F-35s will be stationed on the European continent across NATO member bases and聽Switzerland. NATO members in the F-35 program of record include聽Belgium,聽Canada,聽Denmark,聽Finland,聽Germany,聽Italy,聽the Netherlands,聽Norway,聽Poland,聽the United States聽and the聽United Kingdom.
With the addition of Skrydstrup Air Base, F-35s are now operating from 31 bases worldwide. To date, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 975 F-35s, trained more than 2,180 pilots and 15,000 maintainers, and the F-35 fleet has surpassed more than 721,430 cumulative flight hours. Lockheed Martin continues to work side by side with F-35 operators to ensure allies remain ahead of the evolving threat.