Denmark Procures MQ-9B Drones to Enhance Maritime Surveillance
Denmark has signed an agreement to buy four MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones to beef up surveillance capability in the Baltic, as well as the Arctic and the North Atlantic.
Delivery is expected between 2028 and 2029 and includes three ground control stations, necessary equipment, and the training of Danish personnel in the US.
The procurement amount is not disclosed but the amount planned for the purchase was reportedly 370 million euros ($434 million).
“This is a game changer for Danish defense,” head of the air military division in the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation, Colonel Klaus Qvist, said.
“The drones give us a completely new ability to monitor, respond and share information with our NATO partners.”
Being long-range, the aircraft will have to undergo a certification process to be able to operate in both domestic and international civil airspace.
MQ-9B Support Partnership
The procurement is being carried out through the MQ-9B International Cooperation Support Partnership, managed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.
The partnership — comprising Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, and the UK — facilitates cooperation and interoperability among the members through joint procurement, logistical support, training, and services.
It will help keep the platform’s procurement price low for each member and also provide a forum for experience and information sharing.
“The drones represent a completely new capability for the Armed Forces, and it is a complex task to introduce this type of technology,” Qvist explained.
“By joining forces with other NATO countries, including through NSPA, we gain access to experiences, standards and solutions that make us much better equipped to succeed with the implementation, so that we avoid starting from scratch.”
Strengthened Surveillance
Along with providing real-time situational pictures, the General Atomic drone will support environmental monitoring and search and rescue and contribute to Danish intelligence.
The 12-meter (39-feet) platform has a wingspan of 24 meters (78 feet), an endurance of 40 hours, and can fly at an altitude of 15,000 meters (49, 213 feet).
It is equipped with advanced intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance payloads, including Lynx multi-mode radar, and electro-optical and infrared sensors.
“The security situation is constantly evolving, and it is therefore important that Europe can and wants to do more itself,” Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen said.
“With the purchase of four long-range drones, which will, among other things, increase surveillance of the Arctic and the North Atlantic, we are strengthening both Danish and European security. At the same time, there is a focus on strengthening our contribution to NATO.”
