Denmark Retires F-16 Fleet

Royal Danish Air Force now relies entirely on the F-35.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 04:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Royal Danish F-16s [Credit: Danish Ministry of Defense]

Key Takeaways:

Denmark officially retired its F-16 fighter jets after 46 years of service, replacing them with the F-35 as its sole fixed-wing combat aircraft.
The retired F-16 fleet is being transferred to Ukraine and Argentina with U.S. State Department approval.
Danish F-35s recently conducted training missions in Greenland, a region currently in the spotlight regarding Denmark's air defenses.

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Denmark this week officially retired the F-16 after close to 50 years in service.

The Royal Danish Air Force marked the phaseout with a ceremony on Sunday. Denmark flew the F-16 for 46 years, and the aircraft played a central role in the country’s air defense operations up until its recent replacement by the F-35.