Denmark will acquire an additional 16 F-35 fighter jets from the United States, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced Friday, just weeks after unidentified drones breached the country’s airspace.
Alongside the aircraft, Copenhagen will invest around 2.1 billion kroner ($320 million) in anti-drone defense systems. The drone incidents, including flights above military bases, have led Danish officials to suspect Russian involvement.
The new procurement, valued at 29 billion kroner ($4.5 billion), will raise Denmark’s total F-35 fleet to 43 aircraft. The move comes as several European Union nations consider transitioning from US-made fighters to domestically developed alternatives.
Amid ongoing criticism from Washington over Copenhagen’s limited Arctic security efforts, Denmark also announced additional investments to bolster defense infrastructure in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions to enhance surveillance and deterrence capabilities.
