Boeing accused the Danish government Thursday of overseeing a "fundamentally flawed" process to replace its fleet of fighter jets which saw the US defence giant lose out to competitor Lockheed Martin.

In June, Denmark decided to replace its ageing fleet of F-16s with 27 US-built Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters in a deal valued at 20 billion kroner (2.69 billion euros, $3.02 billion).

Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Eurofighter's Typhoon model were also in the running for the order, which had been debated for over 10 years.

"We believe the ministry's evaluation of the competitors was fundamentally flawed and inaccurately assessed the cost and capability of the F/A-18 Super Hornet," Debbie Rub, a Boeing vice president, said in a statement.

The company had submitted a request for the defence ministry to provide "all materials related to the fighter procurement evaluation and decision announced in June," it said.

"We're taking this step because there's too much at stake for Denmark and, potentially, other countries considering the Super Hornet," Rub said.

She described it as "the first step toward bringing a formal legal challenge."

Boeing said it had voiced concern earlier this year over the Danish evaluation process, in particular with a government estimate that "the Super Hornet would cost up to twice as much as detailed in US Department of Defense budget documents."

Danish Defence Minister Peter Christensen said it was "natural" that only the company behind the winning bid would be happy with the outcome of the process.

"I note that we have had a very thorough and transparent process," he told Danish news agency Ritzau.

Denmark is one of nine partner countries, that also include Britain, Canada and Turkey, who are helping pay for the futuristic F-35A fighter jet's development.

The country expects to take delivery of the F-35s between 2021 and 2026.

Boeing, Saab display new trainer aircraft
St. Louis (UPI) Sep 14, 2016 - Boeing and its partner Saab have displayed a new production trainer aircraft to be offered to the U.S. Air Force.

The aircraft put on display Tuesday is the T-X, designed specifically for the U.S. Air Force training mission.

Boeing said the aircraft takes advantage of the latest technologies, tools and manufacturing techniques.

"Our T-X is real, ready and the right choice for training pilots for generations to come," said Leanne Caret, Boeing Defense, Space & Security president and chief executive officer.

The Boeing T-X aircraft is a twin-tailed, single-engine jet with an advanced cockpit with embedded training.

"It's an honor to build the future of Air Force training," said Saab President and CEO Hakan Buskhe. "We have created the best solution thanks to great cooperation and a clear strategy since day one."

The U.S. Air Force plans to replace its fleet of aging T-38 aircraft. The Boeing-Saab partnership is one of several competitors for the contract.