Two F-35 fighter jets flew over the Danish island of Bornholm on the evening of 28 Septmeber as part of the country’s air interception readiness system, Bornholm Police confirmed.
“We can confirm that there have been two F-35 aircraft over Bornholm as part of the interception readiness,” said duty officer Alexander Voltov.
The Danish Armed Forces declined to comment when contacted by Ritzau.
Late Sunday evening, on 28 September, duty officer Thomas Elsgaard from Bornholm Police told TV 2 that a fighter jet “first flew one way over the island and then the other way back again.” The scramble followed multiple reports from residents about fighter jets over the island. However, Voltov could not confirm this account to Ritzau in the early hours of 29 September.
The interception readiness system serves to assert and enforce Danish sovereignty and provide support to civilian aircraft. Combat aircraft must demonstrate presence and defend Danish airspace. The system consists of two pilots who can take off with a few minutes’ notice around the clock in F-16 and F-35 fighter jets from Skrydstrup Air Station.
According to the Danish Armed Forces website, activation of the interception readiness does not necessarily mean there has been a violation of Danish territory or airspace.
Through May 31 this year, the interception readiness was activated 33 times, all over the Baltic Sea.
Bornholm Police told TV 2 earlier Sunday evening that it had received numerous reports about drones. According to police, a starry sky caused many of the reports.
Over the past week, drones have been observed over several airports and military locations in Denmark. Most recently, the Armed Forces reported drone activity over several military sites on the night of 27 September.
The identity of those behind the drone activity remains unknown.
In a video address on the evening of 26 September, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said there is hybrid warfare on Danish soil, and that the attacks aim to create insecurity and division.
Previous drone incidents in Denmark
On the evening of 22 September, Danish and Norwegian police reported drone incidents in Copenhagen and Oslo. In Copenhagen, traffic at Kastrup, the country’s largest airport, was completely halted due to 2-3 large drones. At least 35 flights were diverted to other airports. Passenger aircraft circled in the air, and one made an emergency landing due to lack of fuel. The airport resumed operations around 01:00 after a four-hour closure.
Aalborg Airport in northern Denmark was closed overnight from 24 to 25 September due to drones in its airspace.
The Danish Defense Minister reported that on Wednesday evening and throughout the night, drones flew around a number of Danish airports and military sites. “This certainly does not look like a coincidence,” he said.
Additionally, around midnight on 25 September, Aalborg Airport was briefly closed again due to a suspected UAV threat.
These attacks follow a series of airspace violations across NATO countries over the last month.
On the night of 10 September, Russian drones violated Poland’s airspace. Military forces shot down approximately four of 19 unmanned aircraft.
Romania declared air alert in northern regions on 13 September due to strike drone threats.
Three Russian fighters spent 12 minutes in Estonian airspace on 19 September.
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