The Royal Danish Air Force () (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of the Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the

Danish Armed Forces The Danish Defence (; ; ; ) is the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark charged with the defence of Denmark and its self-governing territories Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The military also promote Denmark's wider interests, support ...

. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was made a separate service in 1950. Its main purpose is to serve as enforcer of Danish airspace and to provide air support to Danish group troops on the battlefield.

History

Supermarine Spitfire at Stauning-2004-03

The Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) was formed as a military service independent from the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

and

navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

in 1950 from the merger of the Danish Army Air Corps () founded on 2 July 1912 and the Danish Naval Air Service () which had been founded on 14 December 1911. All military aviation had been prohibited during the

Nazi occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

from 1940 to 1945 and so as of

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

the Danish armed forces had no aircraft, but the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

had built or expanded air bases in Denmark. The air force was led by Lieutenant General C.C.J. Førslev, who had previously served as a colonel in the army and as first commander of the Danish Army Air Corps. The national command was located at Værløse Air Base which also served as Command East, while Command West was located at Karup in central Jutland. Royal Air Force volunteer and former member of the

Free Norwegian Forces The Norwegian armed forces in exile () were remnants of the armed forces of Norway that continued to fight the Axis Powers, Axis powers from Allies of World War II, Allied countries, such as United Kingdom, Britain and Canada, after they had escap ...

in England, Kaj Birksted, was appointed chief of the flying staff. The rivalries and mutual disrespect between the established officer Førslev, who had never been in air combat himself, and the experienced fighter ace Birksted led to a series of misunderstandings which delayed the operationalization of the air force. Further, the East and West commands lacked experience and knowledge of the newly delivered Gloster Meteor and F-84 Thunderjet aircraft. The Danish armed forces received 38 surplus Supermarine Spitfire H. F. Mk. IXE and 3 P.R.Mk. XI in 1947–48 plus four additional airframes for ground instruction, which were operated by units of the Hærens Flyvertropper and Marinens Flyvevæsen prior to their merger, and by the Royal Danish Air Force until 1956, when the last examples were retired and all but two scrapped. One survived for a number of years in a children's playground. The one surviving instructional airframe was later restored to depict the number '401' Spitfire Mk. IX. This airplane is now preserved at ''Dansk Veteranflysamling'' at Stauning Airfield in

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

. Pilot training was initially based at Avnø from May 1946 until 1951, when the school were transferred to the U.S. under the "Military Assistance Programme". The school at Avnø continued to conduct tests to choose the candidates for the American training programme. In 1947 the RDAF established a school for aircraft mechanics, based at Værløse Air Base. In 1951, the RDAF officers school was inaugurated at Rungstedlund north of Copenhagen, while airmen were educated at Værløse.

1950s

The air force received six F-84E Thunderjet and 238

F-84G Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet is an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunde ...

as military aid from the US, and formed five new squadrons (726 to 730) at Karup Air Base from 1952 to 1954. The rapid expansion caused problems as neither two-seaters nor flight simulators were available, causing 89 crashed F-84s and 40 pilot casualties. Some casualties were due to the lack of experience in the newly formed air force while others stemmed from the tactics introduced by American WWII and

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

-veterans based on fast and low flying attacks to avoid anti-aircraft fire. To avoid further casualties the air force established a training squadron of two-seated T-33As in 1956 to train US-educated pilots to navigate under local weather conditions. Furthermore, Eskadrille 722 was changed to function as rescue squadron in 1956 and was strengthened by seven

Sikorsky S-55 The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (company model number S-55) is a multi-purpose piston-engined helicopter that was used by the United States Army and United States Air Force. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwin ...

helicopters in 1957. Finally,

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

Hugh Saunders Hugh Saunders may refer to: * Hugh Saunders (RAF officer) (1894–1987), South African aviator and Royal Air Force officer * Hugh Saunders (academic) (died 1537), English clergyman and academic * Hugh Saunders (speedway rider) (born 1944), Engli ...

from Royal Air Force was employed in 1954 to reorganize the air force which led to the merger of Command East and West, forming Flyvertaktisk Kommando (Air Tactical Command) with the initial mission to lower the number of crashes during training.

1960s

In 1962, the Royal Danish Army's four SAM batteries based on

Nike missile Project Nike (Greek: Νίκη, "Victory") was a U.S. Army project proposed in May 1945 by Bell Laboratories, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft mi ...

s were transferred to the air force. They were intended to defend Copenhagen against Soviet ballistic missiles and high altitude bombers, and based at Eskadrille 531 in Gunderød, Eskadrille 532 at Kongelunden on

Amager Amager ( ), located in the Øresund, is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 216,000 inhabitants (January 2022). The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (including Kalvebod Fælled) makes up more than one-third of the ...

, Eskadrille 533 in Sigerslev and Eskadrille 534 in Tune. In 1965 four batteries of

Hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

missiles were deployed close to the Nike batteries to protect them from low altitude aircraft. In 1968, Denmark became the first of three export customers for the

Saab 35 Draken The Saab 35 Draken (; ''The Kite'', ambiguous with ''The Dragon'') is a Swedish interceptor aircraft, fighter-interceptor developed and manufactured by Saab AB, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (Saab AB, SAAB) between 1955 and 1974. Development of ...

(Kite/Dragon). Ever since 1966 the Danish government had started looking for an aircraft to replace two squadrons of Republic RF-84F Thunderflash reconnaissance aircraft and North American F-100 Super Sabre fighter/ground attacker aircraft. A number of candidates were considered and these were: the Douglas A-4F Skyhawk, Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter, Vought A-7 Corsair II, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, Dassault Mirage III/5 and Saab's Draken. The F-5 and Mirage 5 were the favourites while the Draken was one of the least popular since it had poor payload/range performance and could not carry heavy weapon loads. In response to the Kongelige Danske Flyvevåben's (Royal Danish Air Force's) initial dislike, Saab decided to create a new Draken variant that would put it on the top of the competition shortlist.

1970s

In the 1960s and 1970s, the RDAF operated a number of US financed Lockheed F-104G Starfighters, North American F-100D and F-100F Super Sabres, and several other types. The first Danish Draken, designated F35, delivery took place on 1 September 1970 when three F35s were delivered to Karup Air Base. They were later followed by another 17 F35s and six TF35s. Since the F35s lacked radar, they replaced F-100Ds in the ground attack role. However, Sidewinder AAMS could be carried for self-defence. The six trainers were delivered between 1970 and 1972 and the F35s were delivered between 1970 and 1971. In 1971, the Danish army created the Royal Danish Army Flying Service as the first air-unit outside the air force, since its creation in 1950. It had observation helicopters and piston-engined artillery spotting aeroplanes. In 1977 the Danish Naval Air Squadron was extracted from squadron 722 to the Danish navy, and it had ship-based helicopters. In a joint arms purchase four NATO countries:

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

introduced the General Dynamics

F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...

as their common strike fighter in January 1980. The F-16 was later bought by additional NATO countries,

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, and the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

, also a NATO member operates the F-16.

1980s

In 1982, the number of fighter aircraft was reduced by 12 units. The General Dynamics F-16 was introduced to replace initially the F-100 and later the F-104G. The Royal Danish Naval Air Service was strengthened by eight Westland Lynx Mk. 80 from 1980, replacing the Alouette III helicopters. As a supplement to the Greenland-based C-130s the air force purchased three Gulfstream G-III.

1990s

In 1990, the Danish Army Air Corps purchased 12

Eurocopter Fennec The Eurocopter, later Airbus Helicopters AS550 Fennec (now H125M) and AS555 Fennec 2 are lightweight, multipurpose military helicopters manufactured by Eurocopter Group (now Airbus Helicopters). Based on the AS350 Ecureuil and AS355 Ecureuil ...

lightweight attack helicopters to strengthen capabilities to perform expeditionary mission. The helicopters were transferred to RDAF in 2003. In 1992, during the Yugoslavian civil wars, the RDAF C-130 Hercules aircraft were used for transport of the 900 Danish troops participating in the UN-led mission to the Balkans. In 1996, a C-130 joined the NATO On-Call International Airlift Pool along with a Gulfstream aircraft. The Gulfstreams were replaced by Challenger planes the following year, when the Danish government ordered the three Challengers in current use. In 1999, following the end of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, the Danish air force was re-organised to be an "expeditionary" air force, capable of supporting international operations worldwide – but at the same time still being able to uphold its domestic air and seaward defence commitments. The same year, an expeditionary force of 9 F-16s to join the

Operation Allied Force The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...

is approved in parliament.

2000s

In 2002, Denmark joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Team, and eventually up to 48 F-35s could be bought to replace the F-16s. In October 2002, a tri-national detachment of 18 Danish,

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, and Norwegian

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

fighter-bombers, with one Dutch

KC-10 The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American tanker and cargo aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1981 to 2024. A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the Adv ...

tanker, flew to the

Manas Air Base Transit Center at Manas (formerly Manas Air Base and unofficially Ganci Air Base) is a former U.S. military installation at Manas International Airport, near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. It was primarily operated by the U.S. Ai ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

, in support of the NATO ground forces in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

as part of the

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

. In 2004, the older

C-130H Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designe ...

fleet of three transport aircraft (bought by the government in 1973) was replaced by three of the more-advanced and stretched

C-130J The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The C-130J is th ...

transport aircraft. A fourth C-130J joined in 2007. In 2005, a modification program (Mid Life Update) was completed on the remaining F-16 aircraft. The modification programme, started in 1995, introduced a new mission computer, colour multifunction displays, and other avionic improvements. In 2003, 16 H-500 Cayuse and 13 Eurocopter AS550C2 Fennec from the Army Air Corps and eight Westland Lynx Mk. 90B from the Naval Air Squadron were supposed to be transferred to the air force. The 16 Cayuse and 13 Fennec helicopters were transferred to the newly re-formed Danish Squadron 724. The eight Lynx helicopters were supposed to enter another re-formed squadron, ''Squadron 728'', but for political reasons those helicopters remained with the Navy. This change of "ownership" of the naval helicopters became effective on 1 January 2011 when the naval helicopters joined the newly formed ''Squadron 723''. In 2005, the 16 Cayuses were decommissioned, and also one of the Fennecs. The remaining 12 Fennecs took over many of the tasks from the Cayuses, including support-functions of the

Danish police The Police of Denmark (, , ) is the Denmark, Danish National Police force, and the interior part of the Danish security forces (the Danish Defence, Danish military being the exterior) in the Kingdom (The Danish Realm: Denmark (proper), Green ...

. In 2006, the air force signed a

letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement, term she ...

to purchase several of the Boeing Integrated Defense

C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previ ...

. That order needs to be confirmed, but it is to be made on the basis of the formation of a shared

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

C-17 air fleet to support international deployments. Denmark has later withdrawn from this arrangement but it is in existence today. See

NATO Strategic Airlift Capability The Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) is a multinational initiative that provides its participating nations assured access to military airlift capability to address the growing needs for both strategic airlifts and tactical airlifts. SAC, est ...

. The United States and the United Kingdom have already bought numerous C-17s, and several other NATO countries are considering doing so, too. In June 2007, Denmark's six

EH101 The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requiremen ...

transport helicopters were transferred to the British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

to meet an urgent British requirement for additional transport helicopters. In 2009 six replacement AW101 were delivered to the RDAF from AgustaWestland Yeowil and paid for by the UK.

2010s

In June 2010, the

Sikorsky S-61 The Sikorsky S-61L and S-61N are civil variants of the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, SH-3 Sea King military helicopter. They were developed and produced by the American helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. The commercial version of the Sea King ...

SAR helicopter was withdrawn from service. The Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO), short listed five helicopters as potential replacements for the Lynx with around 12 new naval helicopters needed. The Sikorsky/Lockheed MH-60R, the NH90/NFH, H-92, AW159 and AW101 were on the short list and a Request For Proposal was issued on 30 September 2010. Ultimately the air force decided to buy nine

Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...

helicopters. In 2014, RDAF flew F-16 fighter jets in Greenland for the first time, testing the operational capabilities of maintaining sovereignty of the vast arctic airspace.Osborne, Tony.
Denmark Looks To Boost Greenland Defenses
" ''

Aviation Week & Space Technology ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', often abbreviated ''Aviation Week'' or ''AW&ST'', is the flagship magazine of the Aviation Week Network, a division of Informa. The weekly magazine is available in print and online, reporting on the aeros ...

'', 29 September 2014. Accessed: 3 October 2014
VideoArchived
on 3 October 2014 In 2005 the RDAF requested information about the possible procurement of a replacement for the F-16 fighter aircraft from the producers of the

Gripen The Saab JAS 39 Gripen ( ; English: ''Griffin'') is a light single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with rela ...

Rafale The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", or "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide range ...

Eurofighter The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, supersonic, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems ...

and Joint Strike Fighter, to which the RDAF has been a partner since 1997. Due to this fact Rafale-producer, Dassault Aviation, decided not to participate in the information round as they considered it to be biased towards the JSF option. This also led to the withdrawal of the Eurofighter in 2007, reentering in 2012. Meanwhile, the

Boeing F-18 Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are a series of American supersonic twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft derived from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The Super Hornet is in service with the armed forces ...

entered the competition in 2008. After several delays, a request for binding information was sent to the four candidates in April 2014 expecting a final decision in mid-2015. On 9 June 2016, the Danish Defence Committee agreed to purchase 27 F-35As to succeed the F-16. The price tag is US$3 billion.

2020s

In January 2020, Lockheed Martin announced that assembly had begun on L-001, the first of 27 F-35As destined for the Royal Danish Air Force. The first F-35 was transferred to the Danish Air Force on 7 April 2021. On 14 September 2023, the first four F-35A fighters arrived at

Skrydstrup air base Vojens Airport, also known as Skrydstrup Airport is an airport in Vojens, Denmark. It shares runways with Fighter Wing Skrydstrup Fighter Wing Skrydstrup is an air base of the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) situated in southern Jutland. It is ho ...

after a transfer flight from Lockheed Martin's facilities in the US. On 6 December 2024, another four F-35A fighters were delivered to the Danish Fighter Wing at Skrydstrup Air Base after departing from the US.

Organization

Organization in the late 1980s

Denmark Air Force Tactical Air Command 1989

The Royal Danish Air Force Command was headquartered at

Karup Air Base Air Base Karup is the main air base of the Royal Danish Air Force. It is situated 3 km west of Karup in mid-Jutland. The air base covers 3000 hectares of land of which only a third is inside the operational area marked by a 17 km long ...

and tasked to train, maintain and prepare the army for war. However operational control in peacetime rested with the Tactical Air Command. In wartime the air force's commander would have become the commander of Allied Air Forces Baltic Approaches (AIRBALTAP). AIRBALTAP commanded all flying units, flying reinforcements, all ground-based radar systems and stations, all air defence units and airfields in its sector. In war the entire Royal Danish Air Force would have come under AIRBALTAP. In 1989 the Royal Danish Air Force consisted of the following units: * Royal Danish Air Force, in Karup, commanded by a Danish lieutenant general ** Flyveskolen (Basic Flying School), Avnø Air Base, T-17 Supporter ** Air Force Materiel Command, Karup *** Air Force Depot Service *** Air Force Maintenance Service *** Air Force Ammunition Arsenal ** Tactical Air Command, Karup ***

Aalborg Air Base Aalborg Air Base () also Air Transport Wing Aalborg is a military air base for the Royal Danish Air Force . It is located at Vadum, near Aalborg, Denmark. Aalborg Air Base shares its runway system as well as some services, including air traffi ...

**** Eskadrille 723, F-16A **** Eskadrille 726, F-16A ***

**** Eskadrille 725, F-35 Draken, TF-35 Draken **** Eskadrille 729, Reconnaissance, RF-35 Draken, TF-35 Draken *** Tirstrup Air Base **** Co-located Operating Base to be reinforced by

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

squadrons *** Vandel Air Base **** Co-located Operating Base to be reinforced by U.S. Air Force / Royal Air Force squadrons ***

Skrydstrup Air Base Vojens Airport, also known as Skrydstrup Airport is an airport in Vojens, Denmark. It shares runways with Fighter Wing Skrydstrup Fighter Wing Skrydstrup is an air base of the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) situated in southern Jutland. It is ho ...

**** Eskadrille 727, F-16A **** Eskadrille 730, F-16A ***

Værløse Air Base Værløse Air Base ( Danish: Flyvestation Værløse) is a former Royal Danish Air Force air base located just south of Værløse, Furesø Municipality, 20 kilometres northwest of central Copenhagen, Denmark. Its ICAO code is EKVL. History Fou ...

****

Eskadrille 721 Eskadrille 721 of the Royal Danish Air Force is the sole squadron in 'Air Transport Wing Aalborg' of the Danish Defence. It provides tactical transport for all parts of the Danish state. History Eskadrille 721 (721 Squadron) was formed on 1 Octo ...

, Transport,

Gulfstream III The Gulfstream III, a business jet produced by Gulfstream Aerospace, is an improved development of the Grumman Gulfstream II. The U.S. military uses versions of the Gulfstream III as the C-20A/B/C/D/E aircraft, though later C-20 F/G/H/J are Gu ...

**** Eskadrille 722,

Search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

, S-61A helicopters ** Air Defence Command East, Skalstrup Air Station *** Eskadrille 541, Stevns Fort, with 1x

I-Hawk The Raytheon MIM-23 HAWK ("Homing All the Way Killer") is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile. It was designed to be a much more mobile counterpart to the MIM-14 Nike Hercules, trading off range and altitude capability for a much s ...

battery (6x launchers) *** Eskadrille 542, Kongelund Fort near Aflangshagen Air Station, with 1x I-Hawk battery (6x launchers) *** Eskadrille 543, Sigerslev Air Station, with 1x I-Hawk battery (6x launchers) *** Eskadrille 544, Tune near Skalstrup Air Station, with 1x I-Hawk battery (6x launchers) ** Air Defence Command West, Karup *** Eskadrille 531,

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

, with 1x I-Hawk battery (6x launchers) *** Eskadrille 532, Odense, with 1x I-Hawk battery (6x launchers) *** Eskadrille 533, Skrydstrup Air Base, with 1x I-Hawk battery (6x launchers) *** Eskadrille 534, Karup Air Base, with 1x I-Hawk battery (6x launchers) ** Air Control Command, at Vedbæk Air Station *** Radar Station on

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

, with fixed S-723 radar *** Rader Station in Gripskov *** Radar Station at Skovhuse *** Radar Station in

Skagen Skagen () is the northernmost town in Denmark, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in North Denmark Region, Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalbo ...

, with fixed

RAT-31DL The Selex RAT-31DL is a long-range air surveillance radar manufactured by Leonardo (previously Selex ES, SELEX Sistemi Integrati and later Finmeccanica). The acronym RAT stands for Radar Avvistamento Terrestre, an Italian term for such "ground-b ...

radar *** Radar Station on Skrydstrup Air Base, with two mobile

AN/TPS-77 The AN/FPS-117 is an L-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) 3-dimensional air search radar first produced by GE Aerospace in 1980 and now part of Lockheed Martin. The system offers instrumented detection at ranges on the order of and ...

radars *** Radar Station, at Sornfelli, Faroe Islands*

Organization in 2025

* Air Command Denmark, at

** Joint Movement and Transportation Organization (JMTO), at Karup Air Base ** Prince's Music Corps, originally from the army's Prince's Life Regiment ** Air Control Wing, at Karup Air Base *** Operations Group ****

Control and Reporting Centre A Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) is according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff publication 1.02 defined as: "A subordinated air control element of the tactical air control centre for which radar control and warning operations are conducted within ...

Karup (CRC Karup), reports to

's Integrated Air Defense System CAOC Uedem in Germany **** Eskadrille 515, at

Copenhagen Airport Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup (, ) is an international airport serving Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, as well as the wider Øresund Region, including Zealand and the southern Sweden, Swedish province of Scania. In 2023 it was the largest ai ...

(tasked with coordinating civil and military air traffic in Danish airspace) **** Mobile Air Control Centre *** Support Group **** Radar Station in

, with fixed

radar **** Radar Station at Skrydstrup Air Base, with two mobile

radars **** Radar Station on

, with fixed S-723 radar **** Radar Station, at Sornfelli, Faroe Islands *** Logistics Group **

Fighter Wing In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group (aro ...

, at

*** Eskadrille 727, with

F-35A Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic Stealth aircraft, stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both Air superiority fighter, air superiority and att ...

*** Eskadrille 730, with F-16AM/BM Falcon (will be replaced with F-35A Lightning II) *** Operations Support Squadron *** Logistics Support Squadron *** Aircraft Maintenance Squadron ** Air Transport Wing, at

***

, with 4× C-130J-30 Super Hercules, 4× CL-604 (Airborne Surveillance) *** Operations Support Squadron *** Logistics Support Squadron *** Aircraft Maintenance Squadron *** Wing Reserve ** Helicopter Wing, at Karup Air Base *** Eskadrille 722, with 14× EH101 Merlin (3× EH101 detached to Aalborg, Skrydstrup, and Skalstrup on 24/7

Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

duty) ***

Eskadrille 723 The Danish Navy Air Squadron (), was the aerial component of the Danish navy, from 1977 to December 31, 2010. Operationally it was directly under command of the Danish Naval Command, but maintenance of the eight Westland Lynx helicopters and tra ...

, with 9×

MH-60R Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...

***

Eskadrille 724 Squadron 724 () is a Royal Danish Air Force helicopter squadron, based at Karup Air Base in central Jutland. The squadron was officially established on 7 August 2003, following the disbandment and reorganization of the Danish army's Royal Dani ...

, with 11× AS550 C2 Fennec *** Flyveskolen (Flying School), with T-17 Supporter *** Operations Support Squadron *** Logistics Support Squadron *** Aircraft Maintenance Squadron ** Air Defence Wing, at Skalstrup Air Base (formed 26 March 2025) *** Operations Group *** Support Group *** Logistics Group ** Operations Support Wing, at Karup Air Base *** Tactical Support Group *** Mission Support Group *** Air Base Support Group

Operations

Royal Danish Air Force F-100 Super Sabre patch

*From 1960 to 1964 RDAF S-55 helicopters flew missions for UNOC in the Congolese civil war. *In 1999, 9 F-16 fighters flew sorties over

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

from Grazzanise AB,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

as part of

. *In 2002 and 2003, 6 F-16 fighter bombers flew 743 sorties against

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

and

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

from Ganci AB,

during

. *From July to October 2004, 4 F-16 fighters in

Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, was Denmark's contribution to NATO's Operation

Baltic Air Policing The Baltic air-policing mission is a NATO air defence Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) in order to guard the airspace above the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Mission Within the Alliance, preserving airspace integrity is ...

. The air policing mission was also undertaken by Danish F-16s in 2009, 2011 and 2013 * In 2005 three AS550C2 Fennec helicopters were deployed to Iraq for two months to assist the Danish ground forces during the first free elections in the country. In 2007 four Fennecs again deployed to Iraq, this time mainly to provide airborne reconnaissance for convoys on the ground around

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

. The helicopters completed 354 missions before returning home in December 2007. *4 AS550C2 Fennec helicopters belonging to the 724th Squadron of the Helicopter Wing were deployed to

on 11 June 2008. These helicopters were based at

Camp Bastion Camp Shorabak (formerly Camp Bastion) is a former British Army airbase, located northwest of the city of Lashkargah in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The camp was situated in a remote desert area, far from population centres. The camp was buil ...

, northwest of Lashkar Gar, the capital of

Helmand province Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...

, and were assigned to provide high altitude observation for Danish ground forces, as well as light transport. * From 19 March 2011, 6 F-16 aircraft from Fighter Wing Skrydstrup were deployed to

Naval Air Station Sigonella Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella is an Italian Air Force base ('), and a U.S. Navy installation at Italian Air Force Base Sigonella in Lentini, Sicily, Italy. The whole NAS is a tenant of the Italian Air Force, which has the military and the ...

on Sicily to assist in maintaining the no-fly zone over

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

as part of the 2011 coalition intervention in Libya. * From 11 July 2014, 3 EH-101 Merlin helicopters were deployed to Afghanistan. One suffered extensive damage when it rolled over during landing on 11 October 2014. No casualties.Helikopter Hold 1 er hjemme igen
" ''RDAF'', 30 October 2014. Accessed: 31 October 2014. * From 5 October 2014, seven F-16AM from Eskadrille 727 and 730 from Skrydstrup Airbase (

Fighter Wing Skrydstrup Fighter Wing Skrydstrup is an air base of the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) situated in southern Jutland. It is home to the 30 operative F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters of the RDAF along with a Saab T-17 Supporter, and a single search and rescue h ...

) and 140 Danish personnel – ground crew and pilots – based at

Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base is a Kuwait Air Force base that is home to 3 Kuwait Air Force F/A-18 C/D squadrons: 9 Squadron, 25 Squadron, and 61 Squadron. The base also has an area designated for operations by the U.S. Air Force and its allies. H ...

in Kuwait to fight the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

forces (ISIS / ISIL) as part of

Operation Inherent Resolve {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Operation Inherent Resolve , partof = the international military intervention against the Islamic State and the War on terror , image = , caption = U.S. Navy B ...

Aircraft

Current inventory

Denmark F-35A embarks on first training flight over Luke AFB

In 2025 the Danish Air Force announced the intention to join the NATO MMR fleet with a requested capacity of 2

Airbus A330 MRTT The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is a European aerial refueling and military transport aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330. A total of 15 countries have placed firm orders for approximately 82 aircraft, of which 64 had ...

Equipment

Operational equipment for aircraft

Radars

Vehicles

Future equipment

Air surveillance

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

Other ranks

The rank insignia of

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

s and

enlisted personnel An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States ...

References

Bibliography

* * Butler, Phil and Tony Buttler. ''Gloster Meteor: Britain's Celebrated First-Generation Jet''. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Midland Publishing, 2006. . * Crawford, Alex. ''Bristol Bulldog, Gloster Gauntlet''. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2005. . * De Jong, Peter. ''Le Fokker D.21 (Collection Profils Avions 9)'' (in French). Outreau, France: Éditions Lela Presse, 2005. . * Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Annals of the Gauntlet". ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', No. 2, n.d., pp. 163–176. * Hall, Alan W. ''Hawker Hunter – Warpaint Series No 8''. Bedfordshire, UK: Hall Park Books, 1997. ISSN 1363-0369. * Hansen, O.S.:''Danskernes Fly'', 2003, Aschehoug, * Kofoed, Hans. ''Danske Militaerfly Gennem 50 Ar 1912–62''. Copenhagen: Flyv's Forlag, 1962. * * Schrøder, Hans A. ''Det Danske Flyvevåben'', Tøjhusmuseet, Denmark 1992. * Schrøder, Hans A. ''Historien om Flyvevåbnet'', Komiteen til udgivelse af "Historien om Flyvevåbnet", 1990. .

External links

Official website of the Danish Royal Air Force
https://www.forsvaret.dk/da/materiel2/f-35---danmarks-nye-kampfly/f-35-ofte-stillede-sporgsmal/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Danish Air Force Air forces by country Military units and formations established in 1950 Military of Denmark Military of Greenland Military of the Faroe Islands 1950 establishments in Denmark

History

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Organization

Organization in the late 1980s

Organization in 2025

Operations

Aircraft

Current inventory

Equipment

Operational equipment for aircraft

Radars

Vehicles

Future equipment

Air surveillance

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

Other ranks

See also

References

Bibliography

External links