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Denmark Urges More Air Defense For Ukraine But Has None of Its Own?

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One of the Improved HAWK SAM systems Denmark used to have in service / Open-source archive photo
One of the Improved HAWK SAM systems Denmark used to have in service / Open-source archive photo

Or what could be the meaning behind the loud words of the Danish PM that they should "do the same with air defense"

During the NATO summit in Washington, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made a statement that led many to believe Denmark was ready to transfer all its available air defense systems to Ukraine.

This interpretation was fueled by her comments: "We decided many months ago to give all our artillery to Ukraine. Why? Because Ukraine will use it better than Denmark. And now we have to do the same with air defense," as quoted by Ukrainian news outlets UNN and Voice of America.

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Ukrainian Armed Forces fire a Caesar 8x8 self-propelled gun supplied by Denmark / Defense Express / Denmark Urges More Air Defense For Ukraine But Has None of Its Own
Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) fire a Caesar 8x8 self-propelled gun supplied by Denmark / Illustrative photo credit: Air Assault Forces Command of UAF

Given this context, it’s important to examine what air defense capabilities Denmark currently possesses that could potentially be sent to Ukraine. Here, the reality may not meet the heightened expectations stirred by Frederiksen’s comments.

The fact is that Denmark currently has basically no anti-aircraft missile systems of its own. The Military Balance 2024 handbook only mentions a number of FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS, which Denmark previously declined to send to Ukraine due to these missiles having reached the end of their service life.

Recent news about Danish air defense equipment only highlights a June 2024 agreement, along with Germany and Hungary, to purchase Skyranger anti-aircraft artillery systems but those were procured under the European Shield initiative and cannot be transferred.

The governments of Denmark, Germany and Hungary sign an agreement on the purchase of Skyranger, June 2024 / Defense Express / Denmark Urges More Air Defense For Ukraine But Has None of Its Own
The governments of Denmark, Germany, and Hungary sign an agreement on the purchase of Skyranger, June 2024 / Open-source photo

Prior reports indicated Copenhagen was providing financial resources for air defense components as part of its military aid to Ukraine, rather than directly transferring existing systems. A careful reading of these messages also reveals those components had to be manufactured first.

Though there's an interesting episode worth considering. Earlier, Denmark handed over some formally "spare parts" for the M109 self-propelled guns, which Ukrainian technicians managed to reassemble into several working systems. Perhaps, a similar situation may happen again with anti-aircraft defenses.

Illustrative photo: Danish M109 howitzer. The artillery systems have been decommissioned from the country's military / Defense Express / Denmark Urges More Air Defense For Ukraine But Has None of Its Own
Illustrative photo: Danish M109 howitzer. The artillery systems have been decommissioned from the country's military / Photo credit: Forsvaret

After all, Denmark used to wield 36 Improved HAWK air defense systems and 40 Bofors L70 anti-aircraft guns as of The Military Balance 1990 edition. These systems were likely decommissioned by the 2000s. However, there's a chance that some components of these systems might still be stored in Danish military warehouses, which could be of use to Ukraine.

It’s also plausible that Frederiksen's comments were misunderstood or taken out of context. Rather than promising a direct transfer of all Danish air defense systems, she might have been emphasizing the need for NATO to make a concerted effort for Ukraine’s air defense, akin to Denmark's significant contributions in artillery support.

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