Denmark greenlights two aircraft, P-8 procurement for Arctic surveillance

The Danish Ministry of Defence says it has decided to acquire two Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to increase the country's combat power in the Arctic and North Atlantic. Copenhagen said the move follows a procurement recommendation from the Nordic nation's Chief of Defence, Gen. Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard. The expected order comes as Denmark and allies meet this week at the NATO Summit in Turkey, where a spate of major weapons deals are expected to be announced. In recent months, Copenhagen has stepped up efforts to strengthen Arctic subsurface and oversea surveillance capabilities amid Russian threats and US President Donald Trump's verbal push to acquire Greenland. Hyldgaard said the P-8 buy will strengthen the Armed Forces' task performance in terms of interception and surveillance at very long distances. The announcement also noted that an "investigation" has been opened by the Danish Defence Command to look at the possibility of cooperating with other NATO allies on the planned fixed-wing program, which is valued at "tens of billions of [Danish] kroner."