Denmark's Air Defence Wing has announced that the country's Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) unit is now operational and capable of engaging identified aerial targets upon receiving orders. The capability has been developed with support from Norway and represents the first step in re-establishing Danish ground-based air defence.
– We are operational now and would be able to fire a guided missile at an identified target if we received the order, says Martin, squadron commander at the Air Defence Wing, in the Danish Armed Forces' article.
The unit has recently conducted several field exercises around Skalstrup air base, where personnel have practised deploying and operating NASAMS. During one of the deployments, the system's radar, command vehicle, and missile launcher were dispersed across the terrain and connected by cables.
Personnel training began in Norway. The first group of Danish soldiers completed a course there that normally takes eight months, condensed into ten weeks. The NASAMS system used by the unit has, according to the Danish Armed Forces, been leased for a symbolic sum of one Norwegian krone. It was in November 2025 that Denmark announced that it had selected NASAMS as one of its new air defence systems.
The missiles loaded during the exercise had previously formed part of the Danish F-16 aircraft's armament. A NASAMS fire control centre can, according to the Armed Forces, be connected to up to twelve missile launchers carrying a total of 72 missiles.
The Air Defence Wing has also begun training its own personnel. The first Danish NASAMS crew trained by Danish instructors has now completed its training. Those instructors were themselves trained earlier in Norway, meaning the unit is no longer dependent on Norwegian personnel for basic NASAMS instruction.
The current operational capability represents a first step in Denmark's continued development of a layered air defence. The Air Defence Wing is also set to receive the IRIS-T, VL MICA, and SAMP/T systems. IRIS-T is expected to arrive within the coming months and VL MICA by the end of the year. No specific delivery date for SAMP/T has been given.