Get To Know The Royal Danish Air Force

For much of its history, Denmark had a staunch policy of neutrality (not unlike Switzerland), even though it was directly impacted by both World Wars (the epic naval Battle of Jutland during WWI being a prime example). Yet in 1949, Denmark eschewed that history of neutrality by becoming a founding member of NATO on April 4, 1949.

Related

Denmark Will Allow Ukraine To Fly Its F-16s Into Russia Proper

Ukraine will be able to use Danish and Dutch F-16s to strike into Russia, while Belgium is saying only for use in 1991-border Ukraine.

Fast-forward to the present day: Denmark’s NATO membership is proudly represented by the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF; “Flyvevåbnet,” which literally translates as “The Flying Weapon”). Simple Flying shall give the RDAF a moment in the spotlight, both its early history and its present status, particularly its representation and showcase at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024.

RDAF early history and current organization

The Flyvevåbnet was established as a separate and independent branch of Danish Defence (Forsvaret) on October 1, 1950, a year and a half after joining NATO.

Today, the RDAF has an estimated 3,476 personnel (plus 100 conscripts). According to the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA; last updated sometime this year), the service has 115 aircraft, of which 37 are jet fighters, namely 33 F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons (or “Vipers,” if you prefer) and four F-35 Lightning IIs. That ranks the RDAF at 65th out of 103 total air services from 103 nations that WDMMA tracks.

Perusing the Flyvevåbnet official website, what passes for its Mission Statement is pretty short and concise:

The current force structure comprises an Air Staff and three Air Wings:

Fighter Wing Skrydstrup

• Squadron 727 with F-16s and F-35s

Air Transport Wing Aalborg

Helicopter Wing Karup

• Squadron 722 with EH-101 Merlin search & rescue helicopters/tactical troop transport helicopters.
• Squadron 723 with MH-60R Seahawks , primarily operating from naval vessels in the North Atlantic Sea around Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
• Squadron 724 with Fennec AS550 C2 light observation and transport helicopters.

As far as demonstrating the discarding of neutrality policy and the seriousness of its commitment to NATO, as the saying goes, “The proof is in the pudding.” To that effect, the RDAF has definitely repeatedly proven its worth in combat, first being “blooded” during Operation Allied Force, the 1999 NATO aerial bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, devised to end Serbian ethnic cleansing against Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian Muslim populace. Since then, as per the RDAF website:

Flyvevåbnet supporting Ukraine

Besides the aforementioned combat operations in which the Flyvevåbnet has directly participated since 1999, the force has also demonstrated its abandonment of the former neutrality policy via its support for Ukraine in the latter nation’s ongoing struggle against Russian aggression.

Related

Denmark Unveils New E-006 Dannenbrog F-16 50th Anniversary Livery As Iconic E-191 Heads For Ukraine

With Denmark’s flag-bearing F-16 being donated to Ukraine, Denmark has unveiled its successor painting in the Danish flag livery.

Accordingly, as noted in the Simple Flying article I just linked to above, Denmark is donating 19 of its older F-16s to Ukraine, which serves a dual purpose of making way for the expansion of Denmark’s 5th Generation F-35 fleet (with 17 more on order to reinforce the four Lightning IIs already serving the RDAF). However, the 4th Generation F-16 — which is celebrating the golden anniversary of its Danish service this year — isn’t going away overnight, as the article elaborates:

“The Royal Danish Air Force has revealed its successor to the iconic F-16 E-191 (called the ‘Dannebrog’). The first images of the replacement F-16 jet have been released, and it will be Denmark’s new flying ambassador. The jet, painted in the livery of Denmark’s national flag, is a source of Danish pride, symbolizing the Nordic country’s aviation prowess. The former ‘Dannnebrog’ has been committed to Ukraine, where Denmark has permitted it to strike targets inside Russia.”

For its part, Forsvaret’s website adds the following:

“The theme for the E-006 is still the Dannebrog, but in a new and refreshed livery scheme, which also includes elements celebrating the 50th anniversary of the F-16 aircraft type’s first flight in 1974. Like the E-191, it will spend the majority of its time on training missions and operational tasks, but when there are special occasions, we look forward to displaying the flag – quite literally!.”

RDAF at Farnborough International Airshow 2024

Regarding those “special occasions,” the Danes have picked a perfect venue for showcasing its new “Dannebrog,” namely its debut at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024, which will take place from July 22-26 in Farnborough, Hampshire, England, UK. For the benefit of anybody not familiar with the Farnborough International Airshow, it’s the second-largest show of its kind after the Paris Air Show, or, as per the event’s own official website proclaims, “The Apex of Aviation” and “Discover the future of aerospace at the world’s leading airshow.”

As per a Flyvevåbnet press release dated June 12, 2024, Simple Flying was able to obtain:

GladGolden jubilæum, Flyvevåbnet kæmper Falcon (“Happy Golden Anniversary, Danish Air Force Flying Falcon”) and Slava Ukraini (“Glory to Ukraine”)!