Denmark has officially announced that it has received three more F-35 Lightning II fighters flown from the US to Skrydstrup Air Base in the southern Jutland region of Denmark on January 12, 2025.
The aircraft’s arrival in Denmark is significant because Copenhagen is considering the possibility of deploying these stealth aircraft to Greenland amid growing geopolitical competition in the Arctic.
The Danish Air Force has so far received 17 of the 27 fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighters it ordered in 2021.
Six of the 17 fighters will remain at the US Air Force’s Luke AFB in Arizona for additional upgrades while the other 11 will operate in Denmark.
The manufacturer of the F-35, Lockheed Martin, officially transferred ownership of the first four Danish F-35s to the Ministry of Defense’s Procurement and Logistics Organization in a ceremony held at Skrydstrup Air Base in October 2023.
According to reports, the remaining aircraft will be delivered to Copenhagen sometime in 2027.
Officially, the F-35s are intended for NATO’s deterrent force
By developing 5th-generation fighter aircraft, Denmark hopes to strengthen NATO’s ability to defend against threats in all areas, while also strengthening the alliance’s collective defense in the Baltics.
The F-35s will replace the F-16MLU fighters for national Quick Alert Reaction (QRA) and air policing missions. In addition, the delivery of these fighters is also important because the Scandinavian country is looking to send these state-of-the-art stealth fighters to Greenland.
Copenhagen says it will upgrade the inactive Kangerlussuaq airport in Greenland to accommodate the F-35 stealth aircraft.
Greenland’s Strategic Position
Due to its location in the Arctic, Greenland is a strategic area for monitoring polar airspace, which hostile military aircraft or intercontinental ballistic missiles are likely to cross in the event of an attack on North America.
In addition, the island is located near the Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
As global temperatures rise, the seaway is now navigable for a short period in late summer.
In the past decade, melting glaciers have opened up new avenues for exploring the region’s resources.
This has turned the Arctic into a new zone of geopolitical competition, with the West accusing Russia of militarizing the region.
The distance from Greenland to the Russian border is about 3,800 kilometers.
The Pentagon also warned the US Congress about China’s growing interest in the region, including Greenland, which is rich in mineral wealth.
Denmark sends F-35s to Greenland to deter US invasion
However, Denmark’s willingness to deploy the F-35 to defend Greenland is part of its plans to increase Denmark’s military presence on the self-governing Arctic island amid ominous messages from incoming US President Donald Trump about the need to control Greenland for security reasons.
Trump, who is set to take office on January 20, shocked Denmark when he expressed his desire to acquire Greenland for security reasons.
Greenland is considered essential to the US ballistic missile early warning system against potential military threats, particularly those from Russia.
It is an autonomous territory of Denmark that is also home to the northernmost US military base, Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base).
US upgrades its base on the island
The US Air Force has deployed four F-35 stealth fighters to the Pituffik space base in Greenland for a two-week North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) military exercise in January 2023.
Indeed, the Russian ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin recently stated that the US is upgrading the airfield infrastructure at its Greenland base for F-35 fighters.
While he reiterated his demand to occupy Greenland, Trump went so far as to say that he would not give up using economic or military force to take control of the autonomous Danish territory.
This, however, beyond Denmark, shocked Greenland as well.
Denmark becomes a lobster
Trump’s statement prompted a harsher response from NATO ally Denmark. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said rather categorically that Greenland has no ambition to become a U.S. state.
However, in response, Denmark has launched an all-out effort to strengthen Greenland’s defenses, including a huge increase in defense spending.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the defense spending package is a “double-digit billion” in kroner, or at least $1.5 billion U.S. dollars. Poulsen noted that the package will allow for the acquisition of two new long-range drones and two new inspection ships.
In addition, it will provide funds to upgrade one of Greenland’s three main civilian airports to accommodate F-35 fighter jets.
The statements and general developments suggest that while Denmark has been extremely slow to increase its military capabilities in Greenland so far, US demands for more control over the territory are forcing it to rush to secure the island. Thus, deploying F-35s to this strategic Arctic island could keep regional threats and US demands at bay, according to Danish officials.
