First F-35 for Denmark Takes Flight
March 9, 2021, the first flight of Denmark's new Fighter F-35 took place.
L-001: Ready for take-off
April 7, 2021, Lockheed Martin will be transferring the new F-35 to Denmark with the tail number L-001. Though, before that, a number of quality tests are going to be executed to ensure that the flight has no flaws whatsoever. The quality tests are being completed at Lockheed Martin's fabric in Fort Worth, Texas.
The test flight on the 9th of March was one out of four test flights and went successfully; L-001 examined all of the testing goals. The four test flights are carried out by test pilots from respectively Lockheed Martin and The United States Air Force.
When L-001 is officially handed over to the Royal Danish Air Force in a couple of weeks, it will be flown to Luke AFB, Arizona. Next, the flight will be put through various tests elaborated by Danish technicians. The first F-35 will arrive in Denmark in 2023 and will be based at the Royal Danish Air Force’s Fighter Wing Skrydstrup.
Sovereign protection of Denmark
The F-35s will ensure sovereign protection of Denmark and furthermore strengthen allies and partners through the NATO F-35 coalition.
- Achieving the first flight of Denmark’s first F-35 is a major milestone for the Denmark F-35 program and a testament to the outstanding abilities of our dedicated and highly trained joint industry and government team, says Bill Brotherton, acting F-35 vice president and general manager.
With F-35's high level of technology such as advanced sensors, the situational awareness of the entire Danish Armed Forces will increase significantly and strengthen Denmark's capability to fulfil its NATO Arctic and Baltic air policing missions.
