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Denmark has ordered additional Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) from Norway’s Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace to strengthen the Royal Danish Navy’s combat capabilities and expand its existing missile inventory.

The new procurement builds on an earlier agreement to replace Harpoon anti-ship missiles aboard Danish frigates and supports a wider effort to improve the country’s ability to defend its coastal waters and strategic maritime approaches.

The Danish Ministry of Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO) announced the agreement on October 19, 2026. The purchase is being conducted through government-to-government cooperation between Denmark and Norway, with Norway’s Defense Materiel Agency (FMA) negotiating the contract with Kongsberg.

Danish naval officials said the purchase would increase the Navy’s missile capacity and contribute to the country’s overall defense capability. The agreement also reflects closer Nordic defense cooperation as Denmark and its NATO allies seek to strengthen maritime security in the Baltic Sea and the wider northern European region.

Expanding Naval Missile Inventory

The additional missiles will equip Royal Danish Navy frigates, extending the service’s transition from the U.S.-made Harpoon anti-ship missile to the Norwegian-developed NSM. The change is part of a procurement program agreed in 2025, under which deliveries are planned to continue through 2030.

The original agreements between Denmark and Norway were valued at approximately $200 million. The additional order expands that arrangement, with the supplementary contract valued at approximately NOK 400 million (around $42 million), according to Norway’s Defence Materiel Agency.

Captain Steen Balslev, head of DALO’s maritime division, said the procurement would strengthen the Navy’s missile capabilities and Denmark’s overall defense posture.

The acquisition adds to a broader effort to modernize Danish maritime forces and ensure that its frigates retain effective anti-ship capabilities.

The NSM is designed to engage both naval vessels and selected land targets. Its adoption gives Denmark a common missile family for ship-based operations and land-based coastal defense, with the two systems allowing the country to strengthen its ability to respond to maritime threats from different platforms.

Denmark Expands Land-Based Coastal Defense

The naval procurement complements Denmark’s separate acquisition of the NSM Coastal Defense System, a mobile, land-based missile system ordered in December 2025.

The contract for that system was valued at more than $112 million, and Denmark became the fifth NATO member to select it, after Poland, the United States Marine Corps, Romania and Latvia. Initial deliveries were expected to begin in 2026.

The coastal defense system combines NSM missiles, launch platforms and Kongsberg’s fire-control system, allowing ground-based units to engage hostile ships approaching Danish waters. Together with the frigate-mounted missiles, the system will give Denmark additional options for defending its maritime approaches and responding to threats against important shipping routes.

Denmark has previously operated land-based anti-ship weapons. It once used truck-mounted Harpoon launchers recovered from decommissioned Peder Skram-class frigates, although the coastal missile unit was disbanded in 2003. In 2022, Denmark assembled and donated a mobile Harpoon battery to Ukraine, supporting the country’s coastal defense around Odesa.

The renewed investment in mobile coastal missiles therefore represents a return to a capability Denmark has employed before, now using a newer missile system that can serve both naval and land-based roles.

NSM Replaces Harpoon

The NSM is a precision-guided cruise missile developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. It can engage surface vessels, including frigates and destroyers, as well as selected targets on land, such as port facilities and military installations.

The missile uses an imaging infrared seeker and autonomous target-recognition technology to identify targets during the final stage of flight. Its navigation system combines inertial guidance with GPS assistance, while its low-altitude flight profile is intended to make detection and interception more difficult.

Replacing Harpoon with NSM will modernize the offensive missile capability of Denmark’s Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates. The change also places the Danish Navy within a broader group of NATO forces operating the Norwegian-designed weapon, supporting common equipment and closer cooperation among allied maritime forces.

Nordic Cooperation and Regional Security

The agreement highlights the growing role of Nordic defense cooperation in strengthening NATO’s northern flank. Norway’s FMA negotiated the purchase with Kongsberg on Denmark’s behalf, allowing the two governments to use an established procurement arrangement rather than create a separate acquisition process.

Norwegian Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik said the purchase would contribute to security across the Nordic region and NATO. FMA Director Gro Jaere also described the agreement as an example of how cooperation between governments can help allies acquire modern defense equipment.

The expansion of Denmark’s NSM inventory is particularly relevant to maritime security in the Baltic Sea and the approaches connecting it with the North Sea. Its geographic position gives the country an important role in protecting regional sea routes, while modern anti-ship missiles provide an additional means of deterring or responding to hostile naval activity.

The latest order adds to Denmark’s broader effort to modernize its maritime defenses. Although the number of missiles and the delivery schedule remain undisclosed, the agreement extends the existing procurement program and reinforces the country’s shift toward the Norwegian-developed NSM for both frigate operations and coastal defense.