The new weapons will greatly fortify Denmark’s growing fleet of F-35s, a force which is expanding from 27 aircraft to 43 F-35s by 2027, according to an essay in Defense News from Oct., 2025. Therefore, expanding the arsenal of air-to-air weapons will more fully and effectively “arm” Denmark’s F-35s and better enable a NATO force to “mass” 5th-generation power across the continent. This ability to mass is quite significant for NATO, as Russia is known to only operate 15-to-20 combat ready Su-57s with plans to have a force of 76 aircraft by 2028. Russia has struggled with production and cost challenges with its Su-57 fleet, so the country would operate at a substantial 5th-generation air-power “deficit” in the event of a Russia-NATO conflict.
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