Denmark: first export contract for the Franco

MBDA and Thales secure first export contract for SAMP/T air defense system

It was expected… And it happened rather unexpectedly. During the presentation of its first-quarter results on Tuesday, Thales announced the contract signed with Denmark, which purchased the Franco-Italian European air defense system SAMP/T NG (MBDA and Thales). Neither Denmark, nor OCCAR (Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation), nor Eurosam, the prime contractor for the SAMP/T system, nor the missile manufacturer MBDA had announced the signing of this contract until now.

Only a European Union website announced this order on Monday, valued at 1.46 billion euros for four systems. Copenhagen had announced in September 2025 the selection of SAMP/T NG (Next Generation) among six candidates, including the Patriot (Raytheon), to secure the protection of its airspace. There were also three other offers from European countries competing against Eurosam. Then, the Danish ministry discreetly signed the contract with Eurosam at the end of March (March 24). However, the Danes had demanded – due to elections – an embargo on the announcement of this signature by the manufacturers.

A first in export

For the SAMP/T, which has been in service since 2011, this marks a first in export, excluding a hybrid system sold to Singapore by MBDA in 2013 without Thales. Denmark will benefit from the increased production of the SAMPT NG system and the production of Aster missiles with delivery starting from 2028. Following recommendations from Chief of Defense Michael Hyldgaard, Denmark selected SAMP/T NG in September over its American competitor Patriot, which had secured all export contracts worldwide, especially in Europe (except France and Italy). The French government (including the Presidency and the Ministry of the Armed Forces) heavily campaigned for this.

In its press release on first-quarter results, Thales stated that it had received a “order from the Danish Ministry of Defense for the production and delivery of SAMP/T NG anti-aircraft defense systems”. Within this framework, Thales, as the integrator of the SAMP/T NG system, in collaboration with MBDA, will provide its Ground Fire radar for the Danish section of SAMP/T NG, the command and control system, and the seeker of Aster missiles. Highly performant, the Ground Fire radar has a range of up to 400 km and provides 360-degree panoramic coverage and 90-degree altitude coverage.