Denmark has already received almost all fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets under the current contract, which means funds will be sought, possibly even by cutting costs in other areas
The Danish National Audit Office (Rigsrevisionen) on Monday, June 8, released a report assessing the total life-cycle cost of the F-35 fifth-generation fighter jet program – including aircraft procurement, maintenance, pilot training, etc. – which turned out to be a quarter higher than previous estimates by the country’s Ministry of Defence.
Thus, if the Ministry of Defence previously estimated the project at DKK 57.1 billion (approximately EUR 7.64 billion), the new estimate is DKK 71.2 billion (EUR 9.53 billion) to be spent on the fighter over 30 years. This represents a difference of EUR 1.89 billion. This is reported by BFM.
Consequently, Rigsrevisionen emphasizes that the Ministry of Defence’s inability to accurately forecast actual expenses is concerning. Although the sum may not seem excessively large in the long run, the audit office is concerned that either overall spending will have to be increased, or funding for the F-35 program will need to be found
by reducing expenditures on other projects.
Moreover, it is unlikely that Denmark can reduce its fighter jet order to cut costs, as it has already received 23 aircraft, and the remaining four are scheduled for delivery by early 2027. Thus, the total cost overrun per aircraft will be EUR 70 million, again, for the entire life cycle.
It is also questionable whether the increased costs will affect the procurement of additional fighter jets. As a reminder, last year, the head of the Danish Ministry of Defence
announced plans to purchase additional F-35 fighter jets
from Lockheed Martin, despite all the talk from U.S. President Donald Trump about annexing Greenland. At that time, the plan was for 10 additional aircraft; now, reports mention 16 aircraft.
Overall, buyers of F-35 fighter jets should prepare for increased expenditures on these aircraft, as this is not the first such instance. Switzerland, for example, has been forced to reduce its order for these aircraft from 36 to 30 due to rising prices.
This also pertains to associated costs, not just the price of the aircraft itself. For instance, it was previously reported about infrastructure deployment issues in Switzerland, where the cost increased from $152 million to $252 million, solely for the “basic minimum.”
Previously, Defense Express reported that alongside Ukraine, Poland has been armed with fifth-generation “Hussars” – after a 6-year wait, the first F-35s arrived in Poland.