Denmark Plans Early Phase-Out of F-16 Jets, Mulls Donation to Ukraine

Copenhagen — NATO member Denmark is looking to retire its F-16 fighter jets two years earlier than planned, possibly paving the way for a donation of the aircraft to Ukraine.

The aircraft of the Danish Air Force are to be decommissioned as early as 2025 instead of 2027 as previously planned, the Danish radio station DR reported on Monday.

This also brings a Danish donation of the fighter jets to Ukraine closer, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told the radio station.

The Ministry of Defence in Copenhagen confirmed to dpa that the Danish F-16s will be phased out because the successors of the type F-35 can be used sooner than planned.

Denmark, in cooperation with the Netherlands, wants to train Ukrainian fighter jet pilots at an airbase near the German-Danish border to be able to operate the F-16s.

According to the Danish defence minister, the training will last six to eight months.

A possible fighter jet donation is thus likely to take place after the completion of the training in 2024 at the earliest.

However, a decision on this could be made before then, Poulsen told DR.

Denmark has 43 F-16 Fighting Falcons, of which around 30 are still in use, according to DR.

From autumn 2023 to the end of 2025, they will be replaced by modern F-35A Joint Strike Fighters.

©2023 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.