Denmark just made a very European call on air defense. Copenhagen will buy the Franco-Italian SAMP/T long-range system instead of the US Patriot, handing Paris and Rome a marquee win — and dealing a political bruise to President Donald Trump after his threats to annex Greenland.
“The Danish Armed Forces are building a ground-based air defence that can protect civilians, military targets and critical infrastructure from threats from the air,” the Defense Ministry said Friday.
For the long-range layer, Denmark will procure SAMP/T (built by MBDA and Thales). For medium-range, it will choose between NASAMS (Norway), IRIS-T (Germany) and VL MICA (France).
Denmark is the first European buyer outside France and Italy to select SAMP/T, a system Paris has pushed hard across the continent. France’s newly appointed prime minister Sébastien Lecornu had lobbied capitals on SAMP/T’s next-gen credentials, arguing it’s a better fit than Patriot for Europe’s needs.
Why not Patriot? Danish officials pointed to a mix of operational, economic and strategic factors — in plain terms: capability, cost and delivery time. With European skies on edge and waiting lists for Patriot batteries stretching years, “faster and cheaper” weighed heavily. The total program — Denmark’s largest air and missile defense buy to date — comes to 58 billion kroner (about €7.7–9.1 billion), covering both long- and medium-range layers.
The decision was watched well beyond Copenhagen. It’s the clearest signal yet that some EU governments are willing to tilt procurement toward European industry when Washington feels unreliable — and after Trump repeatedly menaced Denmark over Greenland, an autonomous part of the kingdom. Danish ministers insist ties with the US remain vital, but the shopping list says Europe wants more sovereignty in key kit.
Context matters. Russia’s war on Ukraine and this week’s Russian drones crossing into Polish airspace have pushed air defense to the top of every NATO agenda. European governments are racing to plug gaps fast; that urgency favors systems they can field sooner, with local industrial content and shared European support chains.
For the US defense giants, Denmark’s order is a reminder Europe won’t be a captive market. Patriot remains battle-proven and a global bestseller — but on this competition, SAMP/T NG (with a new 360° radar and vertical launch canisters) won the brief. Denmark will still fly US kit elsewhere (it already operates F-35s), but for this mission set, the center of gravity just nudged continental.
Bottom line: Denmark didn’t just pick a missile system. It picked a strategy — one that spreads risk, shortens queues, and strengthens Europe’s own arsenal, even if it ruffles feathers in Washington.
Politico, Reuters, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal contributed to this report.
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