The farewell took place in Hangar 3 at Fighter Wing Skrydstrup, where personnel with long-standing ties to the aircraft gathered in a close and informal atmosphere. The F-16, described as the unit’s “eyes and shield in the air”, was honoured for decades of surveillance, deterrence and operational response.
Among the speakers was General and former Chief of Defence Christian Hvidt, who landed the first Danish F-16 at Skrydstrup 46 years ago and later commanded Squadron 727. “We do not talk about the age of the F-16, because it has been maintained by probably the world’s best aircraft technicians and, moreover, flown by some of the world’s best pilots,” he said, adding, “A big congratulations to 727. What exciting and enormous challenges lie ahead.”
During its service since 1980, the F-16 took part in numerous international missions, including operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Libya. Although retired from Danish service, several aircraft have been sold to Argentina and others donated to Ukraine, reflecting their continued operational condition.
The transition to the F-35 reflects changing demands on modern air combat, according to senior adviser Steen Hartov from the Air Command’s Fighter Aircraft Division. “In the future, we will see a completely different type of warfare. We will see far less divided battles, and instead wars where fighting on land, in the air, at sea, in space and not least digitally will take place at the same time and directly affect each other,” he said.
Denmark has purchased a total of 43 F-35 fighter jets, with the first aircraft delivered in October 2023. All aircraft are expected to be fully operational next year, completing the handover from the F-16 to its successor.
Source: Danish Armed Forces.
