Lockheed Martin has begun building the first F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) for Denmark at its Fort Worth production facility in Texas.
The company announced that the forward fuselage of aircraft L-001, the first of 27 F-35As destined for the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF), entered production the week prior. Completion of this aircraft is scheduled for late 2020.
Having selected the F-35A to replace its Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons in 2016, Denmark decided in 2018 to hedge payments of USD3.7 billion so that the country’s department of defence could acquire the aircraft at a fixed price in its local currency, the Krone.
Denmark joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in 2002 during the System Development and Demonstration phase and has influenced technical elements of the F-35. In June 2016, Denmark confirmed plans to procure 27 F-35As.
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