Two Royal Danish Air Force F-35A fighters landed at Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ) in western Greenland on September 16, 2026. According to official information from the Danish Armed Forces, this operational arrival marks the first time that Danish F-35 aircraft have touched down on the island of Greenland.
The two Danish F-35A fighters landed at the Joint Arctic Command facility at Kangerlussuaq together with four United States F-16 fighters and two Canadian F-18 fighters following a multinational military training mission executed over Greenland. The aircraft from each nation covered several hundred kilometers to form up over Greenland, with the Danish fighters deploying from Keflavik Air Base in Iceland and the US and Canadian aircraft launching from Goose Bay in Canada.
Support operations for the long-distance flight included aerial refueling provided by a French Airbus A330 MRTT tanker transport during the transit leg from Iceland. Tactical airspace surveillance and coordination were conducted by a NATO airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, while a Danish Challenger aircraft provided search and rescue cover throughout the operation.
The multinational mission took place under Arctic Sentry, an enhanced vigilance activity launched by NATO in February 2026 and led by Joint Force Command Norfolk. The overall initiative is designed to strengthen alliance coordination and posture across the Arctic and High North regions, having previously framed allied training events across the Nordic operational theater.
Denmark previously stationed F-16 fighters at Kangerlussuaq Airport for Arctic operations prior to retiring its F-16 fleet on January 18, 2026, which left the F-35A as the Royal Danish Air Force's sole fighter aircraft model. Although Danish F-35 fighters had previously conducted aerial patrols along Greenland's eastern coast from Keflavik, they had not landed on Greenland before this mission.
