The noise pollution from F-35s billed as hypermodern is projected to exceed that of the ageing F-16s 15 times and subject hundreds of Danish homes to noise levels comparable with a busy motorway or a rock concert. The government is still pondering its options on how to compensate the victims.
A total of 618 homes, 15 times as many as today, will be affected by noise from Denmark's new F-35 fighter jets, the Ministry of Defence said.
Denmark's new fleet of F-35s, which are to replace the F-16s currently in use, will arrive at Skrydstrup air base in South Jutland starting in 2023. When the new air force is finally ready, far more neighbours will be bothered by the noise exceeding limit values, calculations by the Danish Defence Ministry show. The 100 worst-affected homes will have to suffer noise levels of over 100 decibels, which is comparable to a rock concert or a busy motorway.
By contrast, today's F-16 aircraft only affect 41 homes, which is 15 times fewer, the newspaper Jyllands-Posten reported.
According to Defence Ministry group managing director Per Pugholm Olsen, 618 homes are “surprisingly many”.
“We knew that the F-35 would be more noisy than the F-16s. But 618 homes are a large number, no doubt about that”, Olsen said.
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