Denmark continues to strengthen its coastal defence capabilities following the transfer of Harpoon anti-ship missiles to Ukraine. In this context, the country has signed a contract valued at over €100 million for the acquisition of the NSM CDS (Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence System), developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
The agreement will allow the Danish Armed Forces to incorporate a coastal artillery system based on state-of-the-art technology, designed to counter modern naval threats from land. The system is composed of the NSM missile, launch platforms, and an advanced fire control system developed by Kongsberg.
According to Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, “the acquisition will enable Denmark to counter modern naval threats from land and will strengthen the country’s operational capabilities. In addition, it will help increase the overall presence of the NSM CDS from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea.”
With this purchase, Denmark becomes the fifth NATO member country to field the NSM coastal defence system, joining Poland, the United States (through the U.S. Marine Corps), Romania, and Latvia. Kongsberg highlighted the significance of this decision. Kjetil R. Myhra, Executive Vice President of Defence Systems, stated that “Denmark’s selection confirms the NSM CDS’s position as the leading land-based and mobile coastal artillery solution for NATO allies.”
This development is part of a process that began in 2022, when the Danish government approved the transfer of Harpoon launchers and anti-ship missiles to Ukraine. The decision was confirmed on May 23 of that year by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during a press conference at the Pentagon, where he thanked Denmark for providing coastal defence systems in the context of the Russian invasion that began on February 24, 2022.
In order to replace the transferred systems, Denmark confirmed in March 2025 the purchase of new NSM anti-ship missiles for an amount exceeding 2.1 billion Norwegian kroner. The announcement was officially made by Kongsberg on March 6, with the company responsible for manufacturing and delivering the equipment to the Danish Armed Forces.
Regarding this operation, Lieutenant General Per Pugholm Olsen, Chief Executive of the Danish Ministry of Defence’s Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO), stated: “This government-to-government agreement with Norway is an excellent example of an efficient way to acquire equipment quickly and intelligently. The missiles are a cutting-edge replacement for the Harpoon systems that have served their purpose in Ukraine, and with this acquisition we are significantly strengthening the combat capability of the Royal Danish Navy in a key area.”
The transaction was carried out under a government-to-government sales framework. The contract was signed by DALO and its Norwegian counterpart, the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (FMA), which subsequently formalized the agreement with Kongsberg. According to Gro Jære, Director of the FMA, the process was completed in “record time.”
In this way, Denmark is advancing the modernization of its coastal defence, integrating the NSM system across both naval and land-based platforms, and reinforcing its deterrence capability in a security environment shaped by the conflict in Eastern Europe and the growing strategic importance of the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.
*Cover image courtesy of Kongsberg.
You may also be interested in: For US$730 million, the U.S. authorizes the sale of additional AIM-120C-8 missiles for the Royal Danish Air Force’s F-35A fighters
