Denmark's Plan to Sell Its Used F-16s Sparks Concerns Fighter Jets May End Up 'in Wrong Hands'
05:14 GMT 12.11.2021 (Updated: 19:09 GMT 03.11.2022)
© AP Photo / Janus Engel
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Between 16 and 24 F-16s, which still have years left on the clock, will be sold in anticipation of their controversial replacement, F-35s, that previously raised eyebrows over their overblown maintenance costs and elevated noise levels.
After the turn of the year, the Danish Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI) will start selling off the stock of the nation's F-16 fighter jets.
The ageing aircraft, in use since 1980, have been set aside as brand new F-35 fighter jets are being delivered by the US arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, Danish Radio reported.
The ageing aircraft, in use since 1980, have been set aside as brand new F-35 fighter jets are being delivered by the US arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, Danish Radio reported.
"From next year we will be able to sell the first eight aircraft. If we are so lucky that we can find a buyer who can be approved", FMI Lieutenant Colonel Casper Børge Nielsen from the Materiel Agency, tasked with making the transition from F-16 to F-35 as painless as possible, told Danish Radio.
Nielsen cited a "growing interest" from abroad in the used fighter jets, but a sales agreement has not yet been signed.
Nielsen cited a "growing interest" from abroad in the used fighter jets, but a sales agreement has not yet been signed.
Denmark currently has 43 F-16 fighter jets at its disposal. As some of them are now approaching the expiration date measured in flight hours, only between 16 and 24 aircraft still have a sufficient lifespan left for another owner or nation to benefit from them. Depending on how actively they will be used, there may be five to ten years left in the machines, Casper Børge Nielsen explainsed, citing regular maintenance and updates. Along with the aircraft themselves, large quantities of equipment, tools, and spare parts will be put up for sale as well.
While Denmark is hopeful it can fetch "hundreds of millions of kroner", Casper Børge Nielsen explained it was a complicated process. First, an interested buyer must be found. Crucially, though, the prospective buyer must be approved legally both in the USA and in Denmark, as well as politically by the Danish Parliament.
According to the FMI, the plan is to sell the outdated aircraft continuously until 2025. By that time, if all goes well, the new F-35s will have fully replaced the old aircraft, which Casper Børge Nielsen described as "not selling the inherited silver first".
Yet, human rights organisations Amnesty International and Oxfam Ibis have voiced concern, urging Denmark to make sure the jets don't end up in the wrong hands to avoid war crimes and human rights violations.
"Fighter aircraft are a powerful weapon that can be used in the wrong hands to attack civilian targets. We have seen this before in Syria and Yemen, among others", Secretary General of Amnesty International Denmark Dan Hindsgaul told Danish Radio, cautioning that the seller incurs a co-responsibility. "In the worst case, Denmark can be taken to the International Criminal Court if the Danish planes end up being used incorrectly", Dan Hindsgaul warned.
"The state must go to great lengths to ensure that the aircraft are not resold in 1-2 years. Our fear is that they end up in the hands of someone who uses them for war crimes or human rights violations", Kristian Weise of Oxfam Ibis emphasised.
Denmark's F-16s are currently on their final deployment. Since September, they have been based at the Siauliai Airbase in Lithuania, where they do air policing over the Baltic States.
All of the 27 F-35s should be based on Danish soil by 2027. The jets previously sparked controversy over their overblown maintenance costs and elevated noise levels even compared with their decades-old predecessors.
