Denmark announced that it took delivery of three more F-35 Lightning II fighters that were flown from the United States to Skrydstrup Air Base in the southern Jutland region of Denmark on January 12.
The arrival of the jets in Denmark is significant because Copenhagen is assessing the possibility of deploying these stealth aircraft in Greenland amid rising geopolitical competition over the Arctic.
The Danish Air Force has now reportedly received 17 of the 27 F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters it ordered in 2021. Six of the 17 fighters will stay at the US Air Force’s Luke AFB in Arizona, 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 Acquisition and Logistics Organization at a ceremony held at Skrydstrup Air Base in October 2023.
Last year, problems with the so-called Technology Refresh 3, or TR-3, update caused Lockheed Martin to postpone the delivery of F-35 aircraft. As a result, the country was forced to take the delivery of four more F-35s in December 2024, albeit in the older configuration.
Finally, the Danish government decided to repatriate the three aircraft used for training in Arizona. As per reports, the remaining aircraft will be delivered in the TR-3 configuration sometime in 2027.
The TR3 configuration is practically intended to equip the F-35 fighter aircraft with enhanced Block 4 capabilities by providing additional computing power. These upgrades include improvements to the radar system, electronic warfare capabilities, and the integration of long-range precision weapons.
With the deployment of fifth-generation fighter aircraft, Denmark hopes to strengthen NATO’s ability to deter and defend against threats in all domains while also bolstering the alliance’s collective defense in the Baltic. The F-35 will replace the F-16MLU fighters for national Quick Alert Reaction (QRA) and air policing missions.
Additionally, the delivery of these fighters is also significant because the Scandinavian country is looking to operate these state-of-the-art stealth fighters from Greenland. Copenhagen says it will upgrade the defunct Kangerlussuaq airport in Greenland to accommodate the F-35 stealth aircraft.
Due to its strategic location in the Arctic, Greenland is a strategic territory for monitoring polar airspace, which is likely to be traversed by hostile military aircraft or intercontinental ballistic missiles in case of an attack on North America. Moreover, the island is located near the Northwest Passage sea lane, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. As global temperatures rise, the sea lane is now navigable for a short period of time in late summer.
Over the past decade, climate change and melting glaciers have opened newer 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 just about 3,800 kilometers.
The Pentagon also warned the US Congress of China’s growing interest in the region, including in Greenland, which is rich in mineral resources.
However, Denmark’s willingness to deploy the F-35 to defend Greenland is part of its plans to increase the Danish military presence on the self-governing Arctic island amid ominous signals from the incoming US President Donald Trump about the need to control Greenland for security purposes; Danish broadcasters TV2 and DR reported on 10 January.
The Controversy Surrounding Greenland
The US President-elect Donald Trump, due to take office on January 20, sparked controversy when he expressed his desire to acquire Greenland for security purposes.
Greenland is seen as essential for the US ballistic missile early warning system against possible military threats, notably those from Russia. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark that is also home to the northernmost US military base, Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base). The US Air Force deployed four F-35 stealth fighters to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland for a two-week North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) military drill in January 2023.
In fact, Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin recently claimed that the US is upgrading the airfield infrastructure at its Greenland base for F-35 fighters.
While reiterating his demand to take Greenland, Donald Trump went so far as to say that he does not renounce the use of economic or military power to take control over the autonomous Danish territory. This, however, did not go down well with either Greenland or Denmark.
The Prime Minister of Greenland Egede hit back, saying the island was not up for grabs. “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” Egede said.
Trump’s statement triggered a more fierce response from NATO ally Denmark. The Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said rather categorically that Greenland had no ambition to become a federal state in the United States.
However, in response, Denmark has launched an all-round effort to boost the defense of Greenland, including a huge hike in defense spending.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that the defense spending package was a “double-digit billion amount” in krone, or at least US$1.5billion (£1.2billion).
Poulsen said the package would enable the acquisition of two additional dog sled teams, two new long-range drones, and two new inspection ships. Additionally, it would provide funds to upgrade one of Greenland’s three primary civilian airports to accommodate F-35 fighter aircraft.
That said, while Denmark has been extremely slow to increase its military capabilities in Greenland thus far, the US demands for more control over the territory are set to increase if Denmark is unable to defend the surrounding waters from Russian and Chinese intrusions.
Thus, the deployment of F-35 on this strategic Arctic Island could keep regional threats and US demands at bay.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari9555 (at) gmail.com
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
