In the coming years, the Danish Air Force (Flyvevåbnet) will acquire 27 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter planes. This is designed to replace the ageing General Dynamics F-16 fleet that has been in service since the 1980s.
Ukraine, in the midst of defending itself against Russia’s territorial invasion, has long been requesting the international community to assist it with the necessary air defences, by enabling itself to protect its airspace from adversaries.
On 20 August 2023, the President of Ukraine made a visit to Fighter Wing Skrydstrup (Flyvestation Skrydstrup) in southern Denmark, where, as announced by the Prime Minister of Denmark, the Foreign Minister of Denmark, and the Defence Minister of Denmark, that Denmark would be donating 19 of their F-16 fleet to Ukraine, in order to defend itself.
In order for Denmark to donate (re-export) American fighter aircraft to another state, it must seek the necessary authorisation from the state of manufacture of the aircraft, which is the United States. The U.S. has now approved Denmark (and the Netherlands) donation of the aircraft, once Ukrainian pilots are trained to operate the machinery.
A quick take on the legal dynamics of Denmark’s actions by Marc Schack and Astrid Kjeldgaard-Pedersen is available here.