Denmark selected the SAMP/T NG air defense system in a contract signed on April 21, 2026. The agreement was awarded to Thales and Eurosam, with deliveries expected to begin in 2028.
According to the Defence Blog, the deal makes Denmark the third country to operate the system, joining France and Italy. The contract covers an initial acquisition of four systems valued at approximately $1.7 billion, Thales announced.
The acquisition is part of Denmark’s broader national air defense program, budgeted at around 58 billion Danish kroner (about $9.1 billion), which envisions the eventual purchase of up to eight SAMP/T NG systems across long- and medium-range layers.
The main contractor is Eurosam, a joint venture between Thales and MBDA. For the Danish variant of the platform, Thales will supply the Ground Fire 300 radar, the command-and-control system, and the homing seeker for the Aster missile.
The SAMP/T NG was deliberately chosen by the Danish government over the American Patriot system. The purchase was announced on September 12, 2025, by Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, after Copenhagen concluded that Patriot delivery timelines were unacceptably long.
Waiting times for the Patriot have increased significantly amid rising demand linked to the war in Ukraine and the conflict involving Iran, with Switzerland reporting delays of four to five years in its own Patriot order in March 2026.
As Denmark was unwilling to wait, the SAMP/T NG, with deliveries scheduled from 2028, emerged as a faster path to operational capability.
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