Luke AFB Debut

A Royal Danish Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 308th Fighter Squadron lands at Luke Air Force Base. The first two of seven RDAF F-35s arrived at Luke AFB as Danish pilots prepared to begin the F-35 training program. Luke AFB trains fighter pilots from around the world, building stronger partnerships with trusted allies to fight as one coalition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler)

Two Royal Danish Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter jets assigned to the 308th Fighter Squadron soar over Luke Air Force Base. These are the first two of seven RDAF F-35s to arrive at Luke AFB as Danish pilots prepare to begin the F-35 training program. Luke AFB trains fighter pilots from around the world, building stronger partnerships with trusted allies to fight as one coalition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler)

First Danish F-35A Lightning II fighter jets land at Luke Air Force Base

BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASS DOMINIC TYLER

56th Fighter Squadron

Royal Danish Air Force pilots delivered the first two RDAF F-35A Lightning II fighter jets to Luke Air Force Base on April 13 in preparation of pilot training.

The aircrafts, assigned to the 308th Fighter Squadron, will eventually be joined by five other Danish F-35s for use in the F-35 training program. According to the U.S. State Department, as stalwart NATO allies, the United States and Denmark cooperate extensively to promote peace and stability internationally.

“Today is a historical day for the partnership of the U.S. and Denmark,” says U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matt “Hail” Cisar, 308th FS commander. “We’ve been preparing for the first Danish jets for years. Now that they’re here, we’re excited to train our first Danish fighter pilots.”

Pilots from all around the world participate in the F-35 training program. Royal Danish Air Force Lt. Col. Nick “Kin” Hansen, 308th FS senior national representative, mentions the importance of building relationships between allied countries.

“We have to be able to operate together with different nations in the fifth-generation Air Force,” Kin says. “When we have to go in to fight war together, we find comfort knowing we’ve gone through training from the same place.”

Luke is training fighter pilots from many countries, such as Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Singapore.

“It’s truly remarkable to come into a fighter squadron in which a U.S. pilot might fly a Danish jet alongside a Dutch pilot flying a U.S. jet,” Cisar says. “It shows all the work that’s gone into the F-35 program, the partnerships and how much we rely on each other to get the mission done.”

The F-35 training program is designed to integrate pilots, foreign and domestic, into a common set of tactics and advanced technologies, enabling them to execute the mission as one unit.

Royal Danish Air Force Lt. Col. Joseph “Kobi” Drummond, 308th Fighter Squadron chief of flight operations, taxis a RDAF F-35A Lightning II at Luke Air Force Base. Luke is training fighter pilots from Denmark as well as other countries, such as Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Singapore. The F-35 training program is designed to intigrate pilots, foreign and domestic, into a common set of tactics and advanced technologies, enabling them to execute the mission as one unit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler)

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