Denmark fast-tracked Lockheed radars for northern air surveillance

MILAN — A recent $610 million order placed by Denmark for air surveillance radars to be stationed across Danish territory was sole-sourced to U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin in the “essential security interests” of the country, according to newly published contract documents.

The Danish Ministry of Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization, or DALO, purchased three TPY-4 fixed air defense radars from the American company in December, with the option to procure a fourth one.

The government plans to station these in Skagen (the northern tip of Denmark), Bornholm (in the Baltic Sea), the Faroe Islands, and possibly in eastern Greenland to extend the country’s aerial surveillance reach.

In the past, this area of Greenland has had limited surveillance and remains one of the most isolated and sparsely populated parts of the Arctic.

“DALO assesses that the contract could be awarded directly for the protection of the essential interests of Denmark’s security to Lockheed Martin. …The radars constitute a core element of the country’s air surveillance, and the capability is thus essential to the effective functioning of its national air defense,” a Jan. 20 notice published on the Tenders Electronics Daily, a European Union-affiliated public procurement platform, said.

Tensions have been brewing between Denmark and the United States over President Donald Trump’s fixation with taking control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

On Jan. 21, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump clarified during a speech that he does not intend to use military action to acquire Greenland

Several of Denmark’s Nordic neighbors have also purchased Lockheed’s TPY-4 ground-based radar. Sweden ordered an undisclosed number of units in June 2025, and Norway procured additional units in 2024, now operating 11 of them.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——根据新公布的合同文件，丹麦最近向美国国防巨头洛克希德·马丁公司订购了价值 6.1 亿美元的空中监视雷达，这些雷达将部署在丹麦境内，而此次采购完全出于丹麦“至关重要的安全利益”考虑。

丹麦国防部采购和后勤组织（DALO）于 12 月从美国公司购买了三部 TPY-4 固定式防空雷达，并可以选择购买第四部。

政府计划在斯卡恩（丹麦最北端）、博恩霍尔姆岛（波罗的海）、法罗群岛，甚至可能在格陵兰岛东部部署这些无人机，以扩大该国的空中监视范围。

过去，格陵兰岛的这一地区受到的监控有限，至今仍是北极地区最偏远、人口最稀少的地区之一。

“丹麦国防采购办公室（DALO）评估认为，为了保护丹麦国家安全的关键利益，可以直接将合同授予洛克希德·马丁公司。……这些雷达是丹麦空中监视的核心要素，因此，这项能力对于丹麦国家防空系统的有效运作至关重要。”1月20日，欧盟附属公共采购平台“招标电子日报”（Tenders Electronics Daily）上发布的一则公告如此写道。

由于美国总统唐纳德·特朗普执意要控制格陵兰岛（丹麦的自治领土），丹麦和美国之间的紧张关系一直在加剧。

1月21日，在瑞士达沃斯世界经济论坛期间，特朗普在演讲中澄清，他无意通过军事行动获取格陵兰岛。

丹麦的几个北欧邻国也购买了洛克希德公司的TPY-4地面雷达。瑞典于2025年6月订购了数量不详的雷达，挪威于2024年又采购了一批，目前已投入使用11部。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。