On Friday, June 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale to the Kingdom of Denmark of a batch of Lockheed Martin AGM-158 JASSM-ER air-launched cruise missiles for F-35A Lightning II multirole aircraft, in a package worth up to 842 million USD.
Image: Lockheed Martin
According to the published notice, the government in Copenhagen requested the possible acquisition of 200 JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range) missiles with extended range.
The request also included the following non-MDE (Major Defense Equipment) items: JASSM-ER missile test and support equipment and containers; spare parts, consumables, accessories, and repair and return support; weapons system support; Global Positioning System/GNSS precise positioning service kits; software delivery and support, including classified and unclassified software; publications, including classified and unclassified publications, and technical documentation; field studies; transportation support; U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, provided by Lockheed Martin; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
To date, JASSM-ER missiles have been exported to a select group of countries: Poland, Finland, Japan, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Italy will be the next user, followed by Australia and Germany. According to media reports from May 4, 2025, Israel was said to be in advanced negotiations to acquire JASSM-ER missiles, but more than a year later there has been no public information on the matter.
In the case of the Royal Danish Air Force, or Flyvevåbnet, which withdrew its Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BM MLU Block 10/15 multirole aircraft from service in January this year, the only carriers of JASSM-ER missiles will be the F-35A Lightning II. Denmark initially ordered 27 aircraft, and in March this year contracted another 16, bringing the total to 43. Deliveries began in September 2023, were accelerated in June 2024, and are scheduled to be completed in 2027. So far, 21 aircraft have been delivered, of which 15 have been transferred to Denmark, while the remaining aircraft are stationed at Luke Air Force Base, where they are used for personnel training. The Lightning IIs assumed quick reaction alert duties on April 1, 2025, and full operational capability is expected to be declared in 2027.
Danish F-35As will be armed with AIM-120C-8 medium-range air-to-air missiles, 284 of which have been ordered; AIM-120D-3 AMRAAM missiles, 203 of which have been ordered; and AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range missiles, 340 of which have been ordered. They will also carry GBU-31 JDAM and GBU-39 SDB I bombs, and Denmark also plans to purchase at least 48 long-range anti-radiation missiles.
Interestingly, in addition to the fifth-generation aircraft themselves, Denmark will also procure a number of Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCA, unmanned combat aircraft ‒ so-called loyal wingmen. The specific type has not been disclosed. A similar step has been announced by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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