Denmark plans to replace aging F-16 aircraft with F-35s

The Danish government on Thursday recommended F-35 (Joint Strike Fighter) aircraft, built by American aerospace industry company Lockheed Martin, as the replacement for the country's aging fleet of F-16s.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen announced the choice at a joint press meeting with Defense Minister Peter Christensen, recommending Denmark place an order for 27 F-35 Lightning II fighters.

"It is not the expression of an arms build-up or disarmament. With the new aircraft, we can perform the same duties as before," Rasmussen said.

The recommendation comes on the basis of a report from Denmark's New Fighter Program Office which evaluated the three candidate aircraft -- the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Boeing F18 Super Hornet and the F-35 Lightning II.

According to Christensen, the 27 aircraft will cost 20 billion Danish kroner (3.06 billion U.S. dollars) and the total cost of acquisition and operating expenses are expected to be 56.4 billion kroner.

The purchase of a new fleet of fighter jets has been on the agenda of the Ministry of Defence for years. The final decision is subject to the approval of the parliament.

The purchase of the new aircraft has however been met with disapproval from the public. A poll conducted for political site Altinget showed that 59 percent of Danish voters disapprove of the huge purchase while just 25 percent think it is a good idea, according to local media report.

Denmark currently has a fleet of 30 F-16 fighter jets that have been in service since 1980. Previously, the Danish government has decided to send seven F-16 fighter jets into Iraq and Syria to join the fight against the Islamic State (IS) from mid-2016.

Denmark has been a partner nation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter development program since 1997, and the F-35 has long been regarded as the front-runner in the Danish fighter replacement program. (1 U.S. dollar=6.54 Danish kroner)

Source: XINHUA