Denmark reconsidering JSF?

L-002 flew.

ON page 12 of this thread there is a story about 'KIN' [ viewtopic.php?f=58&t=4450&p=450050&hilit=Danish#p450050 ] and his first flight in the F-35A - here is MORE.

The F-35 is a 'Significantly Better Tool'
26 Feb 2021 Andreas Lindqvist, Ingeniøren

"The first F-35 pilot of Denmark has now flown 10 times in the new fighter. He tells how it differs from the 40-year-old F-16.

The first time I met KIN was in 2011 on a beautiful spring day at the Italian island Sicily. I am on a trip to cover a story from the Sigonella air base, from where the Allies are flying to the air war over Libya, which was going to help remove the dictator of the country, Muammar Gadaffi.

The pilot with the flight name KIN - his civil name is confidential - has just landed from one of the long expeditions across the Mediterranean and into the North African country to hit strategic targets with the bunker busts that were among the specialties in Denmark in the war. This is the first time Danish fighter pilots have dropped bombs in war. And there are demands for them – later when the total has been settled, they have thrown almost a thousand, an eighth of the that the alliance has dropped down on Libya.

But it is also an uncomfortable and risky affair for the Danish pilots to fly so far over sea and over the enemy in the single-engine F-16. Therefore, the 'sharp' mission is also a natural place to start when I talk to KIN again 10 years later.

First Dane in F-35
In the meantime, the experienced fighter pilot has become the first Dane to fly the F-35. Currently, he is at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona training to be an instructor for the rest of the Danish pilots.

Now, he has flown 10 trips in the state-of-the-art stealth fighter aircraft, of which Denmark has ordered 27. The first will be in Denmark in 2023. They cost almost half a billion DKK each, and in addition there are equipment, buildings and operating costs, which multiply the bill.

But from a pilot’s point of view, it is worth the money, says KIN. Not least because the F-35 alone can solve many of the tasks of surveillance, electronic warfare and attack which in Libya required various specialized aircraft in the air at the same time.

"Where we were in Libya we had to be supported by many different platforms in order to succeed, fewer F-35s will be able to solve the task without the support of other aircraft. To a large extent we will get self-protection, and object designation will be of a completely different calibre. And the F-35 greatly relieves the pilot with the assurance that we hit the right object, which we then spent a lot of resources on," KIN says.

The 40-year-old F-16 is, despite constant upgrades, about to be an old aircraft. It even lacks the digital navigation map, which is now standard even in semi-cheap cars. And it does not collect the information about, for example, airspace, radar, targets, weapons and other activity for the pilot.

But in the F-35, it all gets fused in a kind of extended tablet interface, where the pilot can set up his 'desk' with 3D cards and instruments and have data sent to his HUD - head-up display - the visor. It reduces work pressure, stress level and the risk of making fatal mistakes.

“In the F-16, for example, I have to call up the information from the targeting pod, decipher it, round it correctly and manually put it into the flight computer. And then double check if these are the right coordinates I have chosen before I bomb them. In another system, I have to pick my weapons and make sure the bombs have the right profiles. At the same time, I have to keep an eye on the radar to see if there are any hostile activities," he explains.

Yet, KIN has not fully got used to the cockpit, although there is more space - he thinks it is a hassle to get settled in the aircraft, and the ergonomics are different. But he has no doubt he would have felt significantly more secure on the Libya mission in the new fighter.

Still one engine - but better
The F-35 is a single engine just like the F-16, and he is therefore still only one serious engine failure from shooting out. Among other things, he is harder to see for the enemy and he has a better overview.

“It is a significantly better and more modern engine. At the same time, the F-35 has a much better gliding number than the F-16," KIN says. [FatBoySlim]

Like other things with the F-35, the exact number is confidential. But the reason why the plane can glide for longer is obvious. The F-16 is a so-called dirty fighter. On paper, it can reach mach 2 and handle 9G. But when bombs, fuel tanks and various equipment are put on the outside, the air resistance is completely different.

The F-35, on the other hand, is a stealth fighter, and to keep the 'invisible' profile on radar, everything is stored inside the fuselage. This means, the flight characteristics are always similar to the brochure.

“You are not as limited. And that means you always have a clean plane. And if you are threatened, you can move significantly better in the F-35", KIN says.

So far, he has flown A to B, he has flown dogfights against other F-35 fighters, and then he has flown low over ground. Therefore, it is also time to ask him to stop being the officer and spokesman of the Defense for a minute and find his inner boy.

Is it awesome?
“Yes, damn it. The interaction between pilot and fighter is intuitive. The autopilot is super smart and can really relieve you. The engine has a larger diameter, so it presses significantly more, and you can feel it. And then it just glides through the air because it is so streamlined. And then the systems with the app interface and the helmet, where I can look through myself with all the cameras that sit all the way around. It's super delicious," KIN says.

He highlights how he helps in a new type such as the F-35 can help develop completely new air combat techniques. How the approach of the F-35 can be much steeper before stall than the F-16. How the autopilot also controls speed in formation instead of just height as in its predecessor.

But is it also fun - it sounds like it's a bit more of a push on a button, and then you fly?

“Fighter jets are mostly a tool. It is not about going out and having fun, throwing it around and making loops and rolls. But as a tool, this is significantly better. And in air fight you can really feel the engine pushing more. And the more I look at it, I think damn well, it's nice", KIN says."

Source: https://www.f35.com/f35/news-and-featur ... -tool.html

The F-35 is a 'Significantly Better Tool'
26 Feb 2021 Andreas Lindqvist, Ingeniøren

“It is a significantly better and more modern engine. At the same time, the F-35 has a much better gliding number than the F-16," KIN says. [FatBoySlim]
Source: https://www.f35.com/f35/news-and-featur ... -tool.html

Its Long Cruising Range !!


L-002 Takeoff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTxueXiiwAQ

On April 7, 2021, the Royal Danish Air Force celebrated the rollout of its first F-35A, known as L-001, at a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas. Here’s a look at L-001’s journey from production to delivery

https://www.f35.com/f35/news-and-featur ... nt=rollout

Denmark | F-35 Rollout Celebration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZojTzJ3v78


Denmark Forsvaret Channel Video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2BGZRT1O0o (Language is Danish. Use Google Translate.)

Forsvaret
April 6, 2021
It will be a big day The Air Force, and it will be a big day for Denmark, because it is something we have been waiting for so long, and many are talking about the F-35. With the F-35, many countries have joined forces to build a fighter jet, and this means that it has been technologically possible to achieve a fighter jet that is at the forefront of everything you know and can do today. What makes the F-35 unique is the large sensor package.
You can detect threats that you have not been able to detect before. You can compare it a bit with - especially in relation to the amount of information the plane can obtain but also receive - a bit like going from where we in the old days talked on the phone, now we have come to the Internet. If a ballistic missile launches, it will detect it with its sensors.

It will send the measurement data to units on land or on the lake that can defeat the missile. We can to a greater extent work with our colleagues in the Army and in the Navy with the F-35. The aircraft is built as a so-called "low observability", or what is popularly called stealth aircraft. Ie. that the aircraft is very difficult to detect - especially on radars - but also in relation to heat-seeking sensors.
There were slightly different needs that made it necessary to build the F-35 in three versions. The B model, was the one that could take off and take off vertically, and the C model, which could take off and land from an aircraft carrier. So, one can ask why we have chosen the A-model, why for example the B-model? Being able to take off and land vertically means that the plane cannot carry that much.

There is also a lift rotor inside the plane when it needs to hang still in the air. It fills a lot and takes a lot of weight. As soon as the plane is in the air, it's just deadweight. And by the way, a very complicated system, which requires much more maintenance. We have already sent instructors to the United States to start training. The next thing that is going to happen is in 2023.
there we get the first Danish F-35 in Denmark. and we can thus begin the implementation of the aircraft in Denmark. The way fighter jets are used has changed enormously. when we bought the F-16, which was about air combat, a bit of what someone wants to know from old movies, what is called dogfight, then you had to go in behind, so you could either shoot the plane with the cannon or with short-range heat-seeking missiles.

which the great could only shoot if one was quite close. Today, air combat is something completely different. It's about being able to see with your radars the enemies you may be up against, at a long distance, where it becomes more of a chess game about being able to see the other before he can see me, or being able to hit him before he can hit me. We can not fly further in the F-16 because the load-bearing parts of the fuselage have become tired.
And these are the ones of all the g-forces they have been pulling through for 40 years. They were originally designed to hold 6,000 flight hours, and we have exceeded that for most of our flights. if we were to fly further in them, then would have to impose restrictions on, on the one hand, how many g-forces they must pull, how many weapons and extra fuel tanks they can carry, which does,

that they will not be relevant in crisis and war scenarios, where they must be able to provide their optimal Here at Skrydstrup, where we are building, a new building for the F-35 aircraft. It is a building that has some special security levels. It is also part of changing an environment and a culture in relation to the fact that there is a different safety regime around the F-35.
We can manage with fewer F-35s than F-16 aircraft because we can do more realistic simulator training for the pilots. A fresh aircraft frame with fewer faults, which means that we can have much more uptime on every single frame, also - this with - the F-35 is a much more efficient fighter aircraft than the F-16.

There is no doubt that the F-35 is the best choice for Denmark. For over 10 years, one has had a group of people who have analyzed all aspects of all the aircraft that have been possible topics.
Throughout the process of making the decision, one has examined all these candidates and looked at everything from military aspects, strategic aspects, economic aspects, one looked at a total of seven areas and there was not a single area where The F-35 did not become the best.

Original Danish Language.
Det bliver en stor dag Flyvevåbnet, og det bliver en stor dag for Danmark, for det er noget, som vi har ventet på så længe, og mange taler om F-35. Med F-35 er man gået sammen mange lande om at bygge et kampfly, og det gør, at man rent teknologisk har kunnet opnå et kampfly, der er helt på forkant med alt, hvad man kender og kan i dag. Det der gør F-35 unikt, det er den store sensorpakke.
Man kan opdage trusler, som man ikke tidligere har kunnet opdage. Man kan sammenligne det lidt med - især i forhold til den informationsmængde flyet kan indhente men også modtage - lidt ligesom at gå fra, hvor vi i gamle dage talte i telefon, nu er vi kommet på internettet. Hvis der kommer en ballistisk missilaffyring, så vil den opdage det med sine sensorer.
Den vil sende måledataen til enheder på landjorden eller på søen, som kan nedkæmpe missilet. Vi kan i højere grad arbejde sammen med vores kollegaer i Hæren og i Søværnet med F-35. Flyet er bygget som et såkaldt "low observability", eller det man i folkemunde kalder stealth fly. Dvs. at flyet er meget svært at opdage - især på radarer - men også i forhold til varmesøgende sensorer.
Der var lidt forskellige behov, der gjorde, at man blev nødt til at bygge F-35 i tre versioner. B-modellen, var den som kunne starte og lette lodret, og C-modellen, som kan starte og lande fra et hangarskib. Altså, man kan spørge, hvorfor vi har valgt A-modellen, hvorfor eksempelvis B-modellen? Det at kunne starte og lande lodret, betyder at flyet ikke kan bære så meget.
Der sidder også en løftroter inde i flyet, når det skal hænge stille i luften. Den fylder en masse og tager en masse vægt. Så snart flyet er i luften, så er det jo bare dødvægt. Og i øvrigt et meget kompliceret system, som kræver meget mere vedligeholdelse. Vi har allerede sendt instruktører til USA, som skal begynde at starte uddannelsen op. Det næste, der kommer til at ske, er i 2023.
der får vi de første danske F-35 i Danmark. og vi kan således begynde implementeringen af flyet i Danmark. Måden, man anvender kampfly på, har ændret sig helt enormt. dengang vi købte F-16, der handlede luftkamp om, lidt det nogen vil kende fra gamle film, det man kalder dogfight, så skulle man ind bagved, så man enten kunne skyde flyet med kanonen eller med kortrækkende varmesøgende missiler.
som storset kun kunne skyde, hvis man var helt tæt på. I dag er luftkamp noget helt andet. Der handler det om med sine radarer at kunne se de fjender, man måtte være oppe imod, på lang afstand, hvor det mere bliver et skakspil om at kunne se den anden, før han kan se mig, eller kunne ramme ham, før han kan ramme mig. Vi kan ikke flyve videre i F-16, fordi de bærende dele i skroget er blevet trætte.
Og det er de af alle de g-kræfter, de har trukket igennem 40 år. De var oprindeligt designet til at kunne holde 6.000 flyvetimer, og det har vi overskredet for de fleste af vores fly. hvis vi skulle flyve videre i dem, så skulle til at indføre begrænsninger på, dels hvor mange g-kræfter, de må trække, hvor meget våben og ekstra brændstoftanke, de kan bære, som gør,
at de ikke vil være relevante i krise og krigsscenarioer, hvor de skal kunne yde deres optimale Her på Skrydstrup, der bygger vi, en ny bygning til F-35 flyene. Det er en bygning, som har nogle særlige sikkerhedsniveauer. Det er også en del af at ændre et miljø og en kultur i forhold til, at der et anden sikkerhedsregime omkring F-35.
Vi kan klare os med færre F-35 end F-16 fly, fordi vi kan lave mere realistisk simulatortræning for piloterne. Et frisk flystel med færre fejl på, der gør, at vi kan have meget mere oppetid på hvert eneste stel, også - det her med - at F-35 er et langt mere effektivt kampfly end F-16.
Det er ingen tvivl om, at F-35 er det bedste valg for Danmark. I over 10 år har man haft en gruppe af mennesker, som har analyseret alle aspekter af alle de fly, der har været mulige emner.
I hele den proces med at tage den beslutning, der har man undersøgt alle de her kandidater og kigget på alt lige fra militære aspekter, strategiske aspekter, økonomiske aspekter, man kiggede på i alt syv områder, og der var ikke et eneste område, hvor F-35 ikke blev den bedste.

L-001 flight test pilot speaks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBF7vaDGCVw

The First Danish F-35 is Flown by a Danish Pilot
06 May 2021 Danish Armed Forces via LM PR

"May 5, 2021 at 10:05 local time, nothing less than Danish military history was written, when the test pilot MON, as the first Dane, successfully flew a Danish F-35 fighter.

The highlight of his career
The flight itself took about 90 minutes and featured a ride around Arizona's red desert. MON was accompanied by an American and Dutch F-35 aircraft from the squadron nicknamed "Emerald Knights". It was a clearly proud and enthusiastic MON who, shortly after his flight, put into words the historic achievement: “To be allowed to be the first Dane to fly the Armed Forces' new fighter aircraft is a huge thing. There is a large and enormously talented team behind it, which has at least as much credit for making this possible, ”says MON. However, he also admits that for him personally it is a milestone beyond the usual:...

...MON's flight in the Danish F-35 was his second trip in the F-35 in connection with the retraining from F-16 to F-35, and in the coming days several flights await before the trip goes home to Denmark again. Here, it will be MON's task to share his new knowledge and prepare the Danish F-16 pilots who will soon begin their retraining in Arizona in the USA.

Denmark's first aircraft will be in the United States
As the plan is now, the first seven Danish F-35 fighter jets will remain in the USA at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where they will be used for retraining and training of Danish pilots. In 2023, the first Danish aircraft will arrive in Denmark, from where they will operate from Skrydstrup Air Base in Southern Jutland."

Photo: https://www.f35.com/content/dam/lockhee ... C_0464.JPG (13Mb)

Source: https://www.f35.com/f35/news-and-featur ... pilot.html

The Foundation Stone for Danish F-35 Campus has been Laid
18 Jun 2021 The Danish Defense Command

"In the setting sun and almost 30 degrees heat, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik today laid the foundation stone for the F-35 Campus at Skrydstrup Air Base. F-35 Campus Skrydstrup is the base for Denmark's new fighter aircraft, where all the facilities necessary to keep the F-35 ready to go on the wings with minutes' notice are gathered in one place. Right from crew facilities to workshops.

F-35 Campus
The new F-35 Campus covers an area equivalent to approximately 375 detached house plots, and the entire area will be surrounded by a 13 meter high, noise-reducing rampart. Behind the ramparts, when the entire F-35 Campus has been expanded, there will be more than 40,000m2 under one roof.

"We must not be naive. It is crucial that we are ready to deal with threats and challenges. When we lay the foundation stone for the new F-35 Campus in a moment, it will also be the foundation stone for what will form the framework for Denmark's air defense in the future, ”said Minister of Defense Trine Bramsen when the foundation stone was laid in Skrydstrup.

In addition to the foundation stone for the campus, a time capsule was also buried under the campus, which is the Armed Forces' largest building in recent times. The Ministry of Defense's Property Agency is in charge of the construction of the F-35 fighter aircraft's future base.

“It is definitely one of the biggest and most complicated that the Ministry of Defence's Property Agency has helped to build in recent times. Creating a building where users place such high demands on safety has required a completely extraordinary effort. We can all be proud of that, ”says Major General Anders Mærkedahl Pedersen, who is head of the Ministry of Defence's Property Agency.

F-35
The first Danish F-35 will land in Denmark in 2023 according to plan. By 2027, the new fighter jets will be ready to replace the F-16 fighter jets in the Danish defense...."

Photos: https://www.f35.com/content/dam/lockhee ... rtikel.jpg & https://www.f35.com/content/dam/lockhee ... rtikel.jpg

Source: https://www.f35.com/f35/news-and-featur ... -laid.html

Voices from Denmark.
https://euro-sd.com/2021/07/articles/ex ... programme/

Danish National Armaments Director: “We have full confidence in the F-35 programme”
Juergen Hensel 6. July 2021
As both the Commander of the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) and Danish National Armaments Director, Lieutenant General Kim Jesper Jörgensen entered office in February of this year. In this interview, he considers current tasks and programmes, as well as the prospects arising from the “Framework Agreement on Arctic Capabilities” concluded in February.

ESD: The procurement of the F-35 fighter is the most voluminous military acquisition in Danish history. Denmark received the first F-35 on 07 April 2021. Based on the GAO Report 21-226 which highlighted that the US DoD needs to update modernisation schedules and improve data on software development, there were some critical comments in this context. Do you see this as a major challenge for the programme and as a possible serious cost overrun that might affect other programmes?

Jörgensen: As you might know, I participated in the in the roll-out ceremony and the delivery ceremony of the first F-35 in Texas. Let me be very clear: We have full confidence in the F-35 programme. And we have full confidence in the leadership demonstrated by the Joint Programme Office (JPO) in managing the programme. Obviously, a programme of this magnitude will encounter a number of challenges, both in the development phase and during the production and sustainment phase, and that is only natural. We have made a similar experience with the F-16 programme. Today, we have more than 40 years of experience with that programme, and it has been a comparable experience: there have been challenges, which have had to be responded to in a very professional way. And that is why we are confident that with such an approach the challenges in the F-35 programme will be mastered, too, including the cost issues when it comes to the sustainment part of the programme. We have confidence that appropriate solutions will be found.

Danish pilots are amazed at the Engine Power of the F-35.
https://www.tvsyd.dk/nye-kampfly-til-sk ... ke-motoren (Language is Danish. Use Deepl Translation.)

First Dane flew Danish F-35: Could really feel the engine
By Ritzau 06 May 2021
The F-35 is the largest military acquisition in Danish defense history. Now a Dane has been on the wings in Danish aircraft.
For the first time since the transfer of an F-35 aircraft to the Defense, a Danish pilot has been on a training tour in a Danish-owned version of the aircraft that will eventually replace the F-16 aircraft.
It happened on Thursday night Danish time.
A 49-year-old major and test pilot from Aalborg, who goes by the pilot name Mon, was on a training tour in the area around Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for just over an hour.
- I am extremely proud to be the first Dane to fly a Danish F-35 aircraft, he said afterwards.
- It's something I've been looking forward to for years, and it's both a dream for me and a milestone for the Air Force.

Unique control system
Already in January, a Danish pilot flew an F-35 aircraft. But at that time it was not in an aircraft in Danish hands.
The major explains that there are a number of differences between the F-35 and the F-16, with which he has far more experience.
Among other things, they have a completely different overview system, which according to Mon is more "manageable".
- The F-35 has a unique flight control system that allows you to manoeuvre the aircraft very violently compared to other aircraft types, he says.
But it's actually quite "easy to fly", he explains.
He experienced this on the training trip, which included formation flying, landings and testing of emergency procedures - and where the engine, among other things, made an impression.
- It has a very powerful engine with a lot of power. Today we did what we call an afterburner takeoff, where you give full engine power. You can really feel the acceleration in the machine. It was quite impressive," he says.
49-year-old Mon has flown the F-35 once before, but not a Danish one.
This training flight was the aircraft's first.
- The aircraft has so far only undergone test flights from the manufacturer's factory, so this is the first time it has been used for training, says Mon.

Billion-dollar purchase
Denmark is scheduled to train a handful of pilots in the US before the F-35s begin arriving in Denmark in 2023, operating from Skrydstrup Air Base in southern Jutland.
The fighter is developed and produced in an international partnership led by the US.
In 2016, the Danish parliament decided to allocate DKK 20 billion for the purchase of F-35 fighter jets.
The total cost over the lifetime of the aircraft is expected to be around DKK 56.4 billion, which has led to much political debate.
It is the largest military procurement in Danish defence history.

Danish Magazine, June 2021.
PDF https://www.hkkf.dk/files/inline-files/ ... Opslag.pdf (Language is Danish. Use Deepl Translation.)
Articles with the same content.
Pdf Link https://www.hkkf.dk/sommerudgaven-af-fagligt-forsvar
https://www.hkkf.dk/forsvarschef-med-f- ... e-division
https://www.hkkf.dk/ekspert-f-35-vil-oe ... -sikkerhed

Summer edition of Fagligt Forsvar
The latest issue of Professional Defence is out. Read about Denmark's challenges with rearmament, get an overview of offers for veterans and read about the importance of the new fighter aircraft, the F-35.
10. JUNE 2021
Chief of Defence: With F-35, defence is in the top division
On 7 April, the armed forces were formally handed over the first of 27 F-35 fighter jets. The aircraft is the most advanced in the world and, with its sensor suite, will improve battlefield surveillance. We can take part in operations without restrictions, says the head of defence
By Erik Holm in Ft. Worth, Texas
It was Hollywood worthy as the Danish Defence Summit, amid smoke, steam and dramatic music, received the first F-35 fighter jet, which will form the backbone of NATO's air defence for decades to come.
The ceremony took place on 7 April in a hangar at manufacturer Lockheed Martin's legendary production facility in Fort Worth, Texas. It was here, among other places, that the huge US armament capability helped break Nazi Germany by sending up to 19 B-24 Liberator bombers out of the gate every day. Today, F-35 fighter jets are being produced in the 1.6 km long production hall, which at just over six metres is the largest of its kind in the US - we are in Texas.
For the Air Force and Defence, the ceremony marking the official transition of the billion-dollar project from procurement to training of future pilots and technicians was a milestone.
"Above all, it's the people the project will be about," said Major General and Chief of the Air Staff Anders Rex, shortly before the curtain fell and the L001, as the aircraft is called, stood bathed in the spotlight.

From Nokia to iPhone
Both the Air Force and the Americans call the F-35 the world's most advanced fighter. This is due to a number of technical features, such as the aircraft's angular design and materials that make it less visible on radar, as well as long-range weapons that potentially allow you to attack an enemy without them knowing it and neutralise the enemy's air defences, says Anders Rex.
Evil tongues have for years called the F-35 a fat lady, as the aircraft is larger and perhaps less elegant than its predecessor, the F-16. The aircraft's shape is due to the fact that, for example, in a first strike wave, both weapons and fuel can be carried inside the fuselage, thus significantly reducing the radar signature - on the way in, anyway. The F-35 has the world's most powerful engine, more than twice as powerful as the F-16.
But it's the software and sensor package that really sets the F-35 apart from its predecessor, says Lieutenant Colonel and the first Danish pilot in the F-35 with the aircraft name KIN. The aircraft's computers, so to speak, capture and sort input from the many sensors and data-link systems and merge them into one picture.
Or as KIN puts it: It's like going from a Nokia to an iPhone.
According to KIN, there is no doubt that the F-35 is the right solution for Denmark - and for defence as a whole.
- and represents a new era after more than four decades of the F-16.
With its advanced sensors, the aircraft can quickly and efficiently identify targets also for other defence units, which can use the targets as a direct coordinate point.
"I think this will be really big for the Navy and eventually for the Army. For both the Army and the Navy, the problem is often the horizon and the curvature of the Earth. That's their limitation. From the air, we can see hours into the future compared to minutes and pinpoint targets for them. We have such a wide view that it may be too far for the tactical troops in the army to exploit in the first instance, but for the navy we can extend their view seriously. Especially strategically in relation to ballistic missiles," KIN says.
In the US, the F-35 is also envisaged as a replacement for the legendary A-10, better known as the Warthog. An aircraft that many NATO soldiers have a special relationship with after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The future F-35s will be used more as multi-role aircraft in Denmark, KIN expects, although they could easily perform this specific type of mission. Among other things, the F-35 is equipped with a 25 mm Gatling gun.
"Basically, the F-35 is a traditional fighter aircraft that can fly fast, pull many Gs and drop big bombs. But it's the sensor suite and interface that make the aircraft special," says KIN.

Quantum leap forward
According to Major General Anders Rex, the F-35 is a quantum leap forward. Both technologically and operationally, the F-35 will offer entirely new possibilities, even though at this early stage there is no comprehensive overview of the aircraft's capabilities on the battlefields of the future.
"The easy answer is that the F-35 will have a huge impact on the entire defence," says Anders Rex and continues: "The more serious answer is that we don't yet know exactly how. It's only when we start working with the aircraft that the possibilities really become apparent."
says Anders Rex, giving an example: "In 2009, I visited an F-18 unit in the US Navy that had just had a radar upgrade to AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array, also on the F-35, ed.). They told me that every day they found new things they could use the radar for. So it's hard to say what we're going to be able to do with the aircraft this early in the process. It's when the pilots meet that the magic happens," says Anders Rex.
For example, it has been mentioned that Denmark might be able to use the aircraft as a deterrent in the Arctic.
The last 17 of the 27 planes are ready to be equipped with a parachute, so they can use on short and slippery runways, says Anders Rex: "It could be in Norway, it could also be in the Arctic. No decision has been taken to use the F-35 in the Arctic, but it gives flexibility," says the air chief.

Thousands of flight hours
Denmark has been involved in the F-35 project since 1997.
Along the way, there have been several problems that have significantly delayed the process, but according to Lockheed Martin, the project is at a much more mature stage. More than 380,000 hours have been flown in over 600 fighter aircraft. Six countries have used the aircraft in active missions such as Norway, which has patrolled Iceland.
Anders Rex has been with the programme for 16 years and has always seen challenges and problems that have been worked hard to solve.
"When I talk to the pilots, we know that the aircraft works.
It's understandable that there are challenges in such a big programme. We follow that and we do what we can to push and improve the things that can be improved," says Anders Rex.
In essence, there are more strategic considerations behind the acquisition of the F-35. It's about aligning with the US, which is betting big on the F-35 to replace the F-16.
Defence chief Flemming Lentfer believes that with the F-35 purchase Denmark will continue to be part of the elite within NATO: "With the F-35 we will be able to participate in operations without restrictions. Which operations is of course a political choice, but the F-35 gives us the opportunity to participate in the same way as with the F-16, where we have also had the opportunity to operate in the conflicts that have been desired over the past 20 years."
According to him, Denmark has benefited greatly from the F-16 partnership. It can now continue, as it is roughly the same countries that are acquiring the F-35 in the version that is now on its way to the Danish Air Force.
"With the F-35 we are interoperable. We will work with the same equipment and think alike, so we can easily slip into each other's operations. It's incredibly valuable for a small country to be part of a bigger family," says Flemming Lentfer.
Pilot training will take place at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where the first seven aircraft will be stationed, while the Defence prepares Skrydstrup Air Station to receive the fighter jets from 2023. Full operational service is planned for 2024, with the last fighter jets landing in Denmark in 2026.

Expert: F-35 will increase soldiers' safety
The F-35 will increase the safety of soldiers in ground operations. The aircraft can engage targets and warn of attacks earlier than with current systems, says expert.
By Erik Holm
It's not just the Air Force that will benefit from the F-35 fighter jets, which will form NATO's flying fist for decades to come. For operations on the ground, the advanced fighter aircraft will bring great benefits to soldiers.
So says Stig "GRE" Hestbech, a pilot, captain, instructor at the Centre for Air Operations, Defence Academy, and a close follower of the F-35 programme.
"Compared to the F-16, for example, the F-35 will significantly increase the tempo of warfare. Soldiers on the ground will be able to be warned very early of threats, of attacks or engage targets that will be at greater distances than today. This is in its infancy, but already tested in the US," says Stig Hestbech.

Talking to the artillery
Seven partner countries have so far declared the F-35 ready for combat (IOC, initial operational capability), and the first aircraft have taken part in live operations. Israeli F-35As were deployed in May 2018 against Iranian-backed targets in Syria, and later in the year, on 27 September, US F-35B fighters from the USS Essex took part in support of land operations in Afghanistan.
Already, it is anticipated that soldiers will be able to receive intelligence on enemy movements very early. Right down to gunnery level, the F-35 will be able to see if there is activity threatening its own soldiers and alert them so they can counter the threat. The F-35 will also be able to send target data directly to its own long-range artillery or provide full-motion video of a given target area to ground or special forces, for example in preparation or during an advance, says Stig Hestbech.
"This is due to sensors, the aircraft's communications package and the networked way the F-35 operates. You can send larger amounts of data over longer distances. This means that the flexibility in the way you wage war becomes much greater.
You can choose the best and cheapest weapon system to meet the threat you face," he explains.

Impact from day one
In the future, these processes will be further automated with artificial intelligence and similar technologies. The whole aim is to speed up the fight and deliver the effects of weapons faster.
Soldiers on the ground should also expect to be equipped with even more technology, such as 'blue force trackers' down to the individual, so that friend is known from foe, he says.
"You will see a much greater interlinking of the different units from all the services," says Stig Hestbech.
Much of the tactics and the technologies themselves are still being developed. For example, other weapon systems need to be compatible with the F-35 and other fifth-generation platforms, he notes. But the mere fact that the F-35 can see far more and better than the F-16, and in all weather conditions, will make a difference to soldiers on the ground from day one:
"It will increase the ability of soldiers to be alerted earlier to possible attacks and thus have better countermeasures (coverage) and thus survival, which we are not able to do today," Stig Hestbech says.

The first F-35 fighter jets will land in Skrydstrup in 2023. The Defence expects the F-35 to be operational from 2024

Denmark Magazine in 2020, recommended by the Danish MoD.
MoD https://www.forsvaret.dk/da/nyheder/202 ... mechanger/
Magazine https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publica ... 80fe7ab/36 (Language is Danish. Use Deepl Translation.)

HONNOR
DEC. 2020
F-35: A REVOLUTION IS ABOUT TO TAKE WING
DEFENCE/Because something is worth fighting for

DEFENCE'S NEW GAMECHANGER
TEXT: MICHAEL SCHMIDT SORENSEN
From Lockheed Martin's factory in Forth Worth, USA, Danish history is about to be made. It will happen when Denmark's first new fighter aircraft rolls out of the factory. L-001 will be the tail number of the first fighter aircraft, which will undergo a series of advanced tests this autumn and winter before formally passing into Danish ownership in 2021. But it's not just any aircraft that Denmark, as the tenth country in the world, will soon own. It is a combat aircraft with a number of future-oriented features, and is therefore considered by military experts to be the most advanced combat aircraft the world has ever seen.
According to Steen Hartov, senior advisor in the Combat Aviation Division of the Swedish Air Force, this is primarily because the F-35 is built on the idea that the battlefield of the future will be in different arenas and domains, but at the same time:
>>In the future we will see a completely different type of warfare. We will see significantly less divided battles, and instead we will see wars where battles on the ground, in the air, at sea, in space and not least digitally will take place at the same time and directly affect each other. We are looking at a time when soldiers, frigates and fighter jets are fighting each other, while cyber-soldiers are attacking some of the IT systems that tie it all together. This places huge demands on information sharing and intelligence gathering."

More than a fighter jet
When so many actions will be happening simultaneously, it requires ships, tanks, aircraft, computers, drones and satellites to communicate and exchange information at the same time. Only then will you be able to fully draw the board and pre-empt your opponent's next move.
According to Major Karsten Marrup, head of the Air Operations Centre at the Swedish Defence Academy, this is where the F-35 comes in. The F-35 is more than just a fighter capable of dropping high-tech bombs and launching precision missiles:
"The F-35 is a flying technology platform that, with its revolutionary AESA radar technology and other sensors, can scan vast areas, gather information from other units and together create an, in a future perspective, indispensable overview of the battlefield.<<
This ability to draw information from different units and create an overall picture of the situation has so far only been achieved by large man-powered special aircraft, but can now be achieved by a fighter aircraft with only one pilot in the cockpit. It becomes even more interesting when these characteristics are combined with the aircraft's design philosophy and unique stealth technology, making it virtually undetectable on enemy radars. This enables the F-35 to move close to enemy lines - even behind them - and relay information to ships or tanks far from the actual battlefield.
According to Steen Hartov, these capabilities will change the traditional thinking of the Danish defence:
"The defence will now have a fighter aircraft that can both act as an independent threat with its well-developed weapon system, and at the same time be the link between ships, tanks or the anti-aircraft missile systems that our allies possess.

Revolutionary radar technology
Of course, the Danish defence has also had aircraft in the past that could detect the enemy and alert allied troops on the ground. But the crucial difference between the fighters of the past and the F-35 of the future is that the F-35's radar technology and its state-of-the-art sensors make the aircraft faster and
more effectively identify targets and transmit target data so accurately that it can actually be used by others directly as a co-ordinate point to counter, say, an enemy-launched missile.
In this way, the F-35 will be able to identify targets and send target data to, for example, the Navy's frigates or the Army's units, potentially becoming the decisive factor in combat.
The F-35 can also use its advanced sensors to pinpoint targets for other allied fighter aircraft, which can position themselves at a distance from the actual war situation and shoot down the enemy with long-range precision weapons. Without the aircraft themselves being able to identify the enemy. And that is an undeniable game-changer for future defence.

The new playmaker of the defence
According to senior advisor Steen Hartov, the F-35 has qualities never seen before in fighter aircraft and draws comparisons between Denmark's new fighter aircraft and the playmaker's position on the handball court:
>> In many ways, the F-35 can be compared to the playmaker on a handball court. It is an airplane that can take the overall responsibility towards creating overview, analyze the opponent's defense and based on that put together an attack that can break down the coverage and get to the scoring chance. And like a skilled playmaker, the F-35 is a team player who doesn't care who scores the goals. As long as the game is won.
The image of the F-35 as the Defence playmaker is shared by Karsten Marrup, who adds that like a playmaker, the F-35 can step into different roles depending on the situation or mission needs:
"The F-35 can both be the decisive factor in delivering missiles, but it can also be in the background, setting up the attack and making the teammates and the whole team better."<<

Built for collaboration
For Karsten Marrup, it is important to stress that the F-35 must be seen in the context in which it was developed. This is essential to understand its potential and characteristics. The F-35 is the result of the Joint Strike Fighter Program project, which was and is based on developing an aircraft that can cooperate across domains and defenses. Therefore, "jointe", which translates into English means "to join together", is a very central and important part of understanding the creation of the fighter.
"We had a mantra in the oo's that we had to be good at flying with the Americans. We still have to be, but my hope is that in the future we will also seek to exploit the synergies between us that the F-35 provides. In this way, we now have a unique opportunity to develop Defence in the light of deeper and more timely joint military cooperation."
There can be no doubt that in the future all players will be needed in the Defence establishment. But how the court's new playmaker is utilised to distribute play and dispose of the team's resources, only time will tell. However, there is every reason to believe that, if mastered properly, the F-35 could bring the mission of a unified defence a step closer.

F-35 LIGHTNING II
AHEAD
Approximately 2500 kilometres with internal fuel tank. Range can be extended with air-to-air refuelling.

The Danish flag on its tail
The Air Force has chosen to paint the Danish F-35 with the Danish flag on the tail fin. This has been a tradition throughout the 70-year history of the Air Force. In this painting, the Dannebrog is used in a toned down version with a darker red shade combined with a light grey instead of white. This marking makes the aircraft easily recognisable when it is on the runway with other F-35s from other partner countries, and symbolises that the F-35 is owned neither by the Defence nor the Air Force, but by all of Denmark.

AESA radar technology
In a fighter aircraft, AESA radar technology refers to a technology in which up to several thousand electronic radio antennas are assembled to constantly scan the area around the fighter aircraft. and which, through advanced signal processing, has a very high precision and resolution. In an F-35, the AESA radar is mounted in the nose of the aircraft. It is the largest AESA radar ever fitted to any aircraft, enabling the F-35 to scan huge areas and produce detailed radar images comparable to photographs.
"Defence now has a combat aircraft that can both act as a stand-alone threat with its sophisticated weapon system, and at the same time be the link between ships, tanks or the anti-aircraft missile systems that our allies possess."<< Senior Advisor Stoon Hartou in the Air Command Combat Aviation Division

Tablet in the cockpit
Unlike in the F-16, where much of the information the pilot navigates by is spread across multiple instruments, all this information is consolidated in a crisp F-35. You can far od vo on compareno dot against the tablet that many of us have dor home. The screen can either be controlled as a touch-scroons, mon shaking and force during sharp manoeuvres in the F-35 con gore it difficult to work accurately with fingers on a pressure-sensitive screen. Therefore, the pilot can choose to control the display on the skoormon via a joystick and switches on the control stick and throttle, from which the pilot can elicit exactly the information he or she needs in the situation

STEALTH TECHNOLOGY
The term stealth covers the F-35's ability to be very difficult to observe on enemy radars. Many elements are crucial to this capability, but some of the most essential are the choice of materials as well as the design The F-35 is designed with the philosophy that all surfaces should be clean and finished with a sharp edge, but no right angles, and that everything should be hidden inside the aircraft's grey facade. Therefore, the aircraft does not have an external weapon mount as standard, but instead an integrated weapon system inside the body of the aircraft itself. The enemy radar detects a target by the echo that is thrown back to the radar when it hits an object. The way the F-35 is designed, the radar energy is either vaporised or sent in directions other than back to the enemy radar. This makes it virtually impossible for the enemy to determine the aircraft's exact position.

PRAIT & WHITNEY F135
The Pratt & Whitney F135 engine is one of the most powerful jet engines ever made for fighter aircraft. Unlike most other fighter aircraft, the F135 engine allows the F-35 to fly at supersonic speeds without using the afterburner. The engine in a fighter is one of the hardest things to hide from an opponent's radars iscar front and rear, but the combination of the aircraft's special air intake and the engine's design gives the F-35 stealth capabilities from all angles.

Uh oh... here we go again... supersonic without reheat...

I see the Danes are using the nickname, "Panther" too...

Denmark retains F-16 aircraft due to war in Ukraine.

Denmark has postponed the phasing out and sale of its F-16 aircraft as a result of the war in Ukraine, a political majority has decided. According to a press release from the Danish Ministry of Defense, there will be significant operational and security policy risks by selling the aircraft now.

- Putin's aggression against Ukraine has changed Europe and the threats we face. Denmark takes great responsibility for peace and security in the fight against Putin's threats, says Minister of Defense Morten Bødskov in the press release.

Denmark's Chief of Defense Flemming Lentfer recommends keeping the planes until 2027. It will cost 1.1 billion Danish kroner to keep the planes for that long.

The F-16 aircraft were to be phased out as they are old and worn. But the Ministry of Defense promises that the delayed phasing out will not affect the phasing in of the new F-35 aircraft, which are expected to land in Denmark next year.

Uh oh... here we go again... supersonic without reheat...

I see the Danes are using the nickname, "Panther" too...

I found this rather interesting claim:

In an F-35, the AESA radar is mounted in the nose of the aircraft. It is the largest AESA radar ever fitted to any aircraft, enabling the F-35 to scan huge areas and produce detailed radar images comparable to photographs.

Maybe they mean the most advanced or something like that...