page_title: Royal Danish Air Force
section_title: 1970s
hierarchical_section_title: Royal Danish Air Force / History / 1970s
caption_attribution_description: English: Lockheed F-104G Starfighter R-343 of 726 ESK Royal Danish Air Force at RAF Mildenhall England in 1971
context_page_description: The Royal Danish Air Force is the aerial warfare force of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was made a separate service in 1950. It main purpose is to serve as enforcer of Danish airspace and to provide air support to Danish group troops on the battlefield.
context_section_description: In the 1960s and 1970s, the RDAF operated a number of US financed Lockheed F-104G Starfighters, North American F-100D and F-100F Super Sabres, and several other types.
  The first Danish Draken, designated F35, delivery took place on 1 September 1970 when three F35s were delivered to Karup Air Base. They were later followed by another 17 F35s and six TF35s. Since the F35s lacked radar, they replaced F-100Ds in the ground attack role. However, Sidewinder AAMS could be carried for self-defence. The six trainers were delivered between 1970 and 1972 and the F35s were delivered between 1970 and 1971.
  In 1971, the Danish army created the Royal Danish Army Flying Service as the first air-unit outside the air force, since its creation in 1950. It had observation helicopters and piston-engined artillery spotting aeroplanes. In 1977 the Danish Naval Air Squadron was extracted from squadron 722 to the Danish navy, and it had ship-based helicopters. In a joint arms purchase four NATO countries: Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, and Belgium introduced the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon as their common strike fighter in January 1980. The F-16 was later bought by additional NATO countries, Greece and Turkey, and the United States of America, also a NATO member operates the F-16.
caption: Lockheed F-104G Starfighter of 726 ESK in 1971
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