Copenhagen is decommissioning its F-16s, sending them to Argentina and Ukraine.
The Royal Danish Air Force has turned in the fighter jet bearing the distinctive red-and-white livery of Denmark’s national banner — the Dannebrog.
The Lockheed Martin F-16, tail number E-006, has borne the eye-catching Nordic-cross paint scheme in the Danish national colours since 2024. E-006 became the second “Dannebrog” F-16, tasked with air show duty after the original jet (F-16 E-191) was assigned to the group of 19 fighters donated to Ukraine.
Denmark’s remaining F-16 inventory is being sold to Argentina, which took delivery of the first six examples in December 2025. In total, Buenos Aires will receive 24 second-hand F-16s from Denmark, including single-seat A-models and two-seat B-variants.
Copenhagen retired its remaining F-16s in December and has been working to prepare the jets for ferry flights to South America.
“E-006 from Fighter Wing Skrydstrup took off for the last time in the characteristic Dannebrog paint,” the RDAF said on 18 June. “It will undergo a major inspection, and as a part of that it will be painted grey once again.”
That work will take place at Aalborg air base – the RDAF’s primary maintenance and logistics hub.
To replace its retired F-16s, Denmark is fielding 43 Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighters. Of those, 21 are already in service, according to fleets data from aviation analytics company Cirium.
The US embassy in Buenos Aires, which is supporting the transfer of the American-made fighters from Denmark to Argentina, says the Argentinian air force will receive its full compliment of F-16s by late 2028.
The remaining jets will be ferried from Europe to South America in three batches of six aircraft.
The inaugural ferry flight in December launched from the RDAF’s Skrydstrup fighter base with intermediate stops in Zaragosa, Spain; the Canary Islands; and Natal, Brazil. A US Air Force KC-135 tanker supported the transatlantic crossing.
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