Danish Govt. Recommends F-35s for Combat Jet Order
Denmark's government said on Thursday it wants to replace its ageing fleet of fighter jets with 27 U.S.-built Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters.
"We can monitor our airspace... and work in wars and conflicts around the world," Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said at a press conference.
Rasmussen's minority government will now begin negotiations with six other parties in parliament over the order, which Rasmussen said was worth 20 billion kroner (2.69 billion euros, $3.07 billion).
Eurofighter's Typhoon model and Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet were also in the running for the order, which was expected after having been debated for over 10 years.
Denmark took delivery of its first F-16 in 1980 and currently has around 30 in operation. The F-35A fighter jets, which would replace the F-16 and which is still in development, are expected to be ready by 2027.
Denmark is one of nine partner countries, that also include Britain, Canada and Turkey, who are helping pay for the futuristic F-35A fighter jet's development.
A Pentagon report said in February that the F-35A remains dogged by dangerous problems sure to further complicate what is already the most expensive weapons project in history.
In the latest blow to the program, engineers uncovered a slew of flaws during extensive testing of the newest versions of the F-35 series, the report found, adding to a litany of issues including software bugs, technical glitches and cost overruns.
Source: Agence France Presse
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