Another European country entered service with the American 5th generation fighter F-35A. The first such combat aircraft was handed over to the Danish Air Force.

Denmark delivered the first F-35A of 27 ordered fighters. The handover and rollout of the aircraft took place on April 7 at the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas. Although the actual transfer took place, the plane will not leave the United States until it leaves the United States, Danish pilots will be trained at Luke AFB in Arizona. Five more F-35As of the Danish Air Force will also be sent there.

In long-term plans, Denmark will put into service 2026 F-27A fighters by 35, the first of which will enter the country no earlier than 2023. A special infrastructure is being built specifically for the F-35 at the Skridstrup airbase, the future base of these fighters. The F-35 of the Danish Air Force is to be brought to full combat readiness in 2027.

Denmark has been involved in the development of the F-35 since 1997, and Danish enterprises produce components for the fighter. The country's parliament in 2017 approved the purchase of 27 F-35 fighters, although the United States agreed to sell more aircraft to Denmark.

The new F-35s will replace the Air Force's fleet of obsolete F-16 fighters, 30 of which will be decommissioned by 2024.