Summary
- Denmark to temporarily receive TR-2 F-35s due to TR-3 delays.
- Lockheed Martin to deliver TR-2s for training, later upgrading TR-2 jets.
- Denmark’s F-35 phase-in schedule remains on track despite TR-3 issues.
The Danes plan to bring another six F-35A stealth fighters to their new home. Delays in the F-35 Technology Refresh 3 program are causing issues with Denmark’s transition to the platform. However, a solution has now been agreed upon. The Danes will temporarily take delivery of the Technology Refresh 2 (TR-2) configuration instead of the Technology Refresh 3 configuration so that it use them for training.
Denmark receives non-TR-3 enabled F-35s for training
The Royal Danish Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday that the half-dozen Danish F-35s will be brought across the Atlantic to their new home at the Skyrdstrup Air Base in Denmark. Denmark has previously brought four other F-35 jets over so that the number actually in Denmark will grow to ten.
Photo: US Air Force
Defense News also reported that the TR-3 delays are disrupting fleet replacement plans for some export countries like Denmark. As an interim solution, Lockheed Martin will initially deliver the TR-2 version of the aircraft to be used for training and not combat. Danish jets in the old TR-2 configuration will later be returned to Lockheed and upgraded to the TR-3 standard. This will enable Denmark to maintain its current F-35 phase-in schedule.
“It’s very positive that we have now found a solution so that the delays from the manufacturer affect us as little as possible. F-35 fighter jets are a major investment for Denmark that will be important for our defense and security for many years to come, and it’s crucial that we follow the phase-in closely.” Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen
Photo: Mike Fuchslocher | Shutterstock
The US Air Force requires its jets to be in the (TR-3) configuration, and issues with the program have seen the Pentagon refusing delivery. Around 100 F-35 TR-3 jets are being parked around F-35 facilities and cannot be delivered (it is expected to take a year to clear the backlog).
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Denmark transitions to F-35s
It is common for countries to keep some of the initial F-35 jets in the United States for training. Denmark has ordered a total of 27 F-35s that are to be delivered by 2027 (the remaining F-35s are expected to be delivered in TR-3 configuration closer to 2027). Denmark is only a small country of around 5 million people – so the acquisition of F-35s is a sizable investment for the Nordic country.
Denmark is currently phasing out its fleet of aging F-16s – 19 of which are being donated to Ukraine and 24 of which are being sold to Argentina. Denmark has also stated it will stop training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16s after 2024 because it needs to transition to training its own pilots on the F-35.