Denmark deters from acquiring Israeli Barak MX Air Defence System.

Oct 2025 : Denmark has decided to cede proceeding with acquiring the Barak MX air defense system, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), following a military command authority recommendation. Instead, the country will seek other capabilities “with greater immediate combat power”, according to a Danish Ministry of Defence statement.

The Israeli made system was among the options being considered to meet Copenhagen’s urgent air defense needs, especially after drone incursions over several military installations. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had affirmed after the drone attacks that “over recent days, Denmark has been the victim of hybrid attacks” referring to unconventional warfare. His colleague, the Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen had confirmed that the flights appeared to be “the work of a professional actor”, while pointing fingers towards Russia. “There is one main country that poses a threat to Europe’s security, and it is Russia”.

But the Israeli connection has split the parties behind the defense deal, with some lawmakers opposing the move and others viewing it as a near-term solution until the Eurosam SAMP/T system becomes available in 2028, Danish public broadcaster DR has reported.

In September 2025, Copenhagen had selected the SAMP/T system for its long-range defense and announced that it was deciding between “one or more systems” of the Norwegian NASAMS, the German IRIS-T, and the French VL MICA for its medium-range needs.

SAMP/T (Sol-Air Moyenne-Portée/Terrestre, French for “Surface-to-Air Medium-Range/Land-based”) is a mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed as a joint French-Italian project. It is capable of defending against aircraft, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles.

The SAMP/T system is designed around 4–6 launchers holding 08 vertically-launched Aster 30 missiles each, one multi-function radar, and one engagement module for battery command and control. A crew of 14 is required per four-launcher battery. All components are designed to be mounted on 8×8 trucks, making the system fully air-transportable by C-130 or similar aircraft.

SAMP/T is capable of tracking 100 aerial targets and engaging 10 simultaneously. The use of Aster 30 missiles provides SAMP/T with the ability to intercept tactical ballistic missiles and hypersonic cruise missiles. It can engage air-breathing targets and cruise missiles at ranges of up to 100 km (62 mi), and can intercept tactical ballistic missiles fired from more than 600 km away when provided long-range cueing data from an external system.

In sharp contrast, the IAI-made Barak MX is an integrated air and missile defense system that can defend against a range of aerial threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles and advanced ballistic missiles. Unlike the European-made air SAMP/T system, Barak MX features a “soft kill” counter-drone solution and could be seen delivered to Denmark by the summer of 2026. It was used during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025.

The system comes with different kinetic interceptors for varying ranges: short-range (15 kilometres/9 miles), medium-range (35 kilometres/22 miles), long-range (70 kilometres/43 miles), and extended long-range (150 kilometres/93 miles). Each interceptor is equipped with a dual-pulse engine, powerful warhead, and an active radar seeker for optimal performance.

“In the era of ‘software-based’ air and missile defense, a solution that can seamlessly integrate various sensors and battle management systems with high-performance interceptors, tailored to the customer’s needs, can ensure not only today’s performance but future performance against evolving threats as well”, IAI has asserted.

Within Europe, Slovakia has been the only confirmed future operator of the Israeli system after it approved a 560-million-euro ($583 million) procurement deal in December 2024.

Team Maverick