Danish defence procurement agency selects new anti-ship missile

The Danish Ministry of Defence, through the Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO), has said that it wishes to enter into a government-to-government contract with Norway for the purchase of new Naval Strike Missiles (NSMs) from defence technology company Kongsberg.

The contract has a value of between DKK900 million (US$130 million) and DKK1.5 billion (US$210 million). DALO said the stated interval is justified by the Danish Armed Forces' need to keep confidential information secret from foreign powers.

According to DALO's assessment, there is a legal basis for procuring the missiles in question through a government-to-government contract with Norway, as this is considered to be the best option to meet the needs of the Danish Armed Forces.

DALO added that a market survey has shown that the agreement provides the best capacity in relation to the operational needs and, among other things, has the lowest acquisition price and fastest delivery time.

The NSMs have also been deemed by DALO as able to meet the Armed Forces' need for interoperability with allied nations.

The NSM is an offensive missile with an imaging infrared seeker and utilises a semi-armor-piercing warhead optimised for anti-surface warfare. It can be launched from a selection of platforms against a variety of targets on sea and land.