Prince of Denmark Air Force Band providing the musical backdrop, when the first ever F-35A Lightning II was presented to the Royal Danish Air Force in a ceremony at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, where the aircraft was assembled.
American military officials and other dignitaries on Wednesday delivered the first F-35 stealth fighter jet to the nation of Denmark, a move that signals a new chapter in the long history between the NATO allies.
Denmark is expected to receive 27 of the cutting-edge aircrafts in the coming years.
“With the new F-35 fighter jets we will increase our ability to protect Denmark, our region,” Trine Bramsen, Danish Minister of Defense, said in a statement just before the ceremony began. “And wherever necessary as we have done before — side by side with the U.S. and other allies — the F-35s will be at the absolute center for the Danish Defense in the coming decades.”
With years of flying experience of F-16 aircrafts, Denmark has a long history of transactions with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
Denmark is also playing a role in the development of the F-35 program. Two Danish companies, Terma A/S and Multicut A/S, are manufacturing some of the parts used in the fighter aircraft, that includes composites, horizontal tail edges, pylons, radar components and software.
The F-35A version is designed for conventional runways. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics also makes an F-35B, which can take off and land like a helicopter and is favored by the Marines as well as the United Kingdom and Italy, and the F-35C, which is built for aircraft carrier runways and is operated by the U.S. Navy.
The first F-35A delivered to Denmark will be flown to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where Danish pilots and mechanics will begin their training.
“The F-35 will ensure Denmark’s sovereignty and air dominance, enhance its multi-domain and network-based coalition operations, and play a pivotal role in keeping the Arctic a secure and stable region,” said Greg Ulmer, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
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