Danish Armed Forces |News and updates

The Danish Armed Forces' new hand grenades are produced by German company Rheinmetall and come in both an offensive and a defensive version. Photos: The Danish Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency

Soldiers must choose between three different hand grenades​

Peter Ernstved Rasmussen
March 17, 2025

The Danish Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency has purchased new hand grenades for the Danish defence. These are both offensive and defensive hand grenades from German Rheinmetall, which will be a supplement to the Hand Grenade M/54.​

IIn the future, Danish soldiers can choose between three different hand grenades when preparing for a given critical task. The well-known M/54 is supplemented by a new hand grenade for offensive use and a new one for defensive use. So far, the Danish defense has only had the Hand Grenade M/54, which is a relatively heavy grenade of 540 grams. It is a quite powerful defensive grenade, whose explosive charge is so powerful that it can make walls and smaller buildings unstable.

That is why the Danish Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI) has acquired the Hand Grenade M/s85A3 from German Rheinmetall. It will be delivered primarily in a defensive, fragmentation version with a core with over 3500 fragments and secondarily as an offensive version, where the grenade's primary function is to deliver a powerful shock wave.

The offensive grenade is distinguished by having a shorter safety distance for the throwing soldier and his unit.
The article continues below the image…


Sergeants from the Training Regiment practice throwing a hand grenade. Archive photo: Armed Forces/KN Søren Egebæk

According to Major Peter Rasmussen from FMI's land military department, one of the decisive factors behind the acquisition of the new grenades was that the M/54 is so powerful that it can make clearing buildings risky for own soldiers in a combat situation.

“When we throw an M/54 grenade, everything in the room is destroyed – including walls and structure. This means that we have to carefully consider whether we can even use the grenade indoors if the risk of collapse of the building structure is too great,” he explains.

Easier to re-secure​

The new M/85A3 thus gives soldiers a more flexible tool that still has sufficient effect, but does not risk destroying the building in which the soldiers are operating. In addition, the M85A3 has an advanced so-called BSafe ignition mechanism, which makes it possible to quickly re-safe the grenade if the operational situation requires it.
The article continues below the reference…

In comparison, with the M/54 Hand Grenade, reinserting the safety pin with the pull ring is a more difficult exercise. Soldiers who have first pulled the pin on an M/54 are often faced with a difficult dilemma, as reinsertion requires precise manipulation of the spring-loaded safety mechanism.

"With the new grenade, we get a better balance between effect and control. We must still be able to defeat the enemy, but we must also take into account that our own people must operate safely in the buildings. The new grenades are an excellent supplement to the Armed Forces' inventory of M/54, which is still an excellent and effective weapon," emphasizes Major Peter Rasmussen.

The acquisition of the new hand grenades also includes educational equipment such as practice grenades and "blind" grenades for education and training.

Should be both secure and flexible​

Prior to the selection of the M/85A3, FMI and the Danish Defence Command (FKO) conducted an extensive market survey and a series of user tests, where different hand grenade types were evaluated. The tests were conducted in collaboration with relevant units, and focused on, among other things, explosive power, fragmentation, safety and usability in tactical situations.


“It was important for us to find a hand grenade that could both meet our safety requirements and at the same time be flexible in use,” says Major Peter Rasmussen.

The M/85A3 hand grenade is part of a broader modernization of the Danish Armed Forces' equipment, where emphasis is placed on safer and more effective systems that can be adapted to different tactical scenarios.

"It's not just about having the most powerful weapons, but about having the right tool for the right situation. The M/85A3 gives us more control and safety, and that's a clear improvement," says Peter Rasmussen.

This article was written in collaboration with the Danish Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency, which conducted the interview with Major Peter Rasmussen.

OLFI - Soldater skal vælge mellem tre forskellige håndgranater

I fremtiden kan danske soldater vælge mellem tre forskellige håndgranater, når de forbereder sig til en given skarp opgave. Den velkendte M/54 suppleret med

olfi.dk

Minister is 'very happy': Maersk has offered to build warships for the Danish Defense​

It is crucial that we can increase our combat power quickly, says the Minister of Defense.


The frigate Iver Huitfeldt is one of the combat ships that has the prospect of being replaced. (Photo: © Ida Marie Odgaard, Ritzau Scanpix)
Read up
Dictionary
Text
Of
Emil Sondergaard Ingvorsen
Mads Korsager Nielsen
Rasmus Lindegaard Hansen
12 minutes ago

The Danish defense needs new frigates, and it needs to happen quickly.

This is stated by Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen (V), who confirms in a written response that the Danish shipping giant Maersk has offered its help to Denmark.

- Maersk is a distinguished Danish company with proud traditions of building ships – including ships for the Danish Armed Forces. I am therefore naturally very pleased that they are offering themselves for the major task of building new frigates for the Danish Armed Forces, says the Minister of Defence.

It is clear – as I have stated many times – that it is crucial for the government that we can increase our combat power quickly, and this also applies to new frigates.
Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen.

Click to expand...

The announcement comes after DR News revealed on Saturday that Maersk has offered the Danish Defense a helping hand at one of the shipping company's permanent shipyards in South Korea, where the shipping company normally builds container ships for its own use.
This means that the shipyard can, for example, build frigate hulls for the Danish Armed Forces.

A production that otherwise causes major headaches for the Ministry of Defense, because Denmark no longer has its own shipyards that can build large warships. Furthermore, the waiting time on the world market is long.

The announcement comes at a time when Troels Lund Poulsen is negotiating with the parties behind the defense agreement about a naval plan that will kick-start the construction of a series of new, smaller ships for the Navy.

However, the agreement does not include the very large ships such as frigates in this case, which are Denmark's largest and most powerful warships. They currently include three of the so-called Iver Huitfeldt class.


Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen is pleased with the "outstretched hand" from Maersk. (Photo: © Ida Marie Odgaard, Ritzau Scanpix)

Outstretched hand from Maersk​

However, DR News has been able to report that the Danish Chief of Defense, Michael Hyldgaard, wants to build completely new ones that will solve tasks in the Danish Air Force and for NATO.

And this is where the offer from Maersk comes into the picture, the Minister of Defense confirms to DR.
- It is clear – as I have stated many times – that it is crucial for the government that we can increase our combat power quickly, and this also applies to new frigates.

- Therefore, the extended hand from Maersk will naturally be included in the further discussions with the parties in the Danish Parliament. Incidentally, together with the many other options that are on the table, says Troels Lund Poulsen in the written response.

However, not all of the country's politicians are equally happy about the extended hand from the shipping company from Esplanaden in Copenhagen.

Both the Liberal Alliance and the Danish People's Party are skeptical about shipbuilding at Maersk's shipyard in South Korea.

"It makes no sense to place an order in, for example, South Korea in these troubled times. The country is close to China, which is planning to invade Taiwan. It will ruin everything for us," said defense spokesman for the Danish People's Party Alex Ahrendtsen on Saturday.

- A task solution in South Korea creates some supply challenges later, when the ships need to be serviced and upgraded. We have to take that into account, said the rapporteur colleague from the Liberal Alliance, Carsten Bach.

The field narrowed to ground-based air defense​

The Danish Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI) has this week announced the potential suppliers for the long-term establishment of ground-based air defence, who are invited to submit specific offers.
March 14, 2025 - 1:10 p.m.


The Danish Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI) is an agency under the Ministry of Defence.

The acquisition of Ground-Based Air Defense is a high priority. Therefore, a two-track process is being worked on for the acquisition, where FMI is on the one hand searching the market for a short-term solution that can be delivered already this year or next year, while FMI is continuing to work on a permanent solution.

On Tuesday evening, the parties behind the defense agreement approved the military-technical recommendation on which suppliers FMI will proceed with in order to meet NATO force goals.

This concerns the following potential suppliers:

Long-range systems, potential suppliers​

Short and medium range systems, potential suppliers​

The potential suppliers have been selected in a selection process where the focus has been on

• NATO interoperability
• Security of supply
• Operational effect
• Delivery time

"The current security policy situation means that we are looking at ground-based air defense in both the short and long term. With this decision in the conciliation circle, the Ministry of Defense's Materiel and Procurement Board can continue to work with the candidates who, from a military perspective, are the best options for permanent ground-based air defense. It is absolutely crucial that we find the solution that best meets our needs and that meets our NATO obligations. I expect that we can make the final political decision so that the contract can be concluded by mid-2025," says Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen.

The further process​

FMI has now asked the selected potential suppliers to submit offers. The offers must include detailed information on system prices, manpower requirements and operating prices broken down in detail regarding, for example, maintenance packages and many other factors.

"Once the detailed offers have been obtained, FMI must analyse and evaluate the material and prepare for a decision at the political level. The acquisition of ground-based air defence for NATO is obviously strategically crucial, and although we must be quick, we must of course be thorough," says the head of FMI, Lieutenant General Per Pugholm Olsen.

Quick acquisition​

The work on acquiring ground-based air defense to meet NATO force goals has the ambition of greater speed than originally decided – specifically, with operational deployment as early as 2028. At the same time, FMI is working on an even faster, supplementary acquisition, cf. the operational need announced by the Chief of Defence.

At the end of last week, FMI therefore issued a so-called "request for proposal" to a large number of suppliers and nations. In this, FMI asked for any offers (rent, borrow, lease, purchase) that could help Denmark establish an air defense capability during 2025-2026.

​

FMI with rapid acquisition: combat drones for the Army​

The Danish Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI) has acquired and handed over five Danish drone types to the Army, some of which are designed for direct attacks against the enemy. The acquisition has been carried out quickly and with inspiration from the war in Ukraine.
March 12, 2025 - 12:00 PM


FMI has recently acquired new drones for use in training and gaining experience at the Intelligence Regiment in Varde. Photo: Tue Skals/Forsvaret

By Kathrine Rose, FMI COM

The soldiers in the Intelligence Regiment in Varde have got their hands on new equipment. More precisely, five new types of drones that FMI has acquired for the Army. Modern drone technology has over the years become an increasingly integrated part of what characterizes a modern defense. Not least the war in Ukraine, which envoys from the Defense Command have visited to gain experience.

Captain Johan from the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Capability Center is, as one of FMI's drone experts, very pleased that the soldiers on the front lines are getting drones in their hands.

"Drone technology is developing rapidly, and therefore it is satisfactory that we can acquire new drone types that operational users can get their hands on and get to know. Then the skills must be developed and maintained. When possible, we can deliver new, modern drones. This is important with equipment where technology is developing at a high speed," explains Johan.

We can see that drones and autonomous systems are playing an increasingly important role on the battlefield. That is why I am pleased that the Army's skilled employees now have the opportunity to train and improve their skills in the use of drones.
- Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen

The Intelligence Regiment has been issued with five different types of drones, all with different functions and tasks. What the five types of drones have in common, however, is that they have all been purchased from Danish suppliers. A total of four suppliers together form the supply chain for the new drones, which will help build the Army's operational capabilities.


Five new drone types have been delivered in Varde, all with different functions. Photo: Tue Skals/Forsvaret
Knowledge sharing still plays a role
FMI experts benefit from knowledge sharing and shared experiences in the drone fieldin many forums.

"The faster we acquire and deliver equipment to the operational users, the faster we can also get feedback on the experiences they have with the delivered equipment. The end user's experiences with the drones are important for our future work, because through the dialogue we can focus on the operational needs that we want to meet," explains Johan.

At the Intelligence Regiment in Varde, it is now a matter of getting to know the new equipment and seeing how it lives up to the tasks the regiment is responsible for. All this knowledge that Johan and the rest of the colleagues at FMI will also incorporate in the future in the drone acquisitions that are part of building up the Danish defense's combat power.

Speed in the machine
It is not only the technology in the field that is moving at a high pace. FMI has acquired the drones with a short delay. The acquisition process has taken about three months to complete: Focusing on speed is an assignment FMI has received from the political level.

"We are in the process of a historic build-up of the Danish Armed Forces: it is absolutely crucial that we learn from the expensive lessons that the Ukrainians are gaining on the battlefield right now. And we can see that drones and autonomous systems are playing an increasingly important role on the battlefield. That is why I am pleased that the Danish Army's skilled employees now have the opportunity to train and improve their skills in the use of drones. This is an important prerequisite for the defence of the future," says Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen.

Since the Danish suppliers, who together supply the five different types of drones, were able to deliver within a short timeframe, the operational users can already start training and practice. This is intended to increase awareness of and the need for the different types of drones. Below you can read more about what characterizes the five drone types.


Once experience has been gained with the new drones at the Intelligence Regiment in Varde, these can be used to acquire drones for other units in the Army. Photo: Tue Skals/Forsvaret

Chief of Defense visits FMI: Speed is crucial​

Chief of Defence, General Michael Hyldgaard, visited the Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency in Ballerup today, Friday. Here, the Chief of Defence (FC) had the opportunity to discuss the Defence's needs with FMI's top managers, address the employees gathered in the canteen and look at various items of equipment.
March 28, 2025 - 2:00 PM


Chief of Defence, General Michael Hyldgaard visited FMI on Friday, March 28, 2025. Photo: FMI KOM

In his speech to FMI employees, FC presented his visions for strengthening the existing defense as well as introducing new capabilities to increase combat power. FC also took the opportunity to thank all employees for the good work done every day at FMI.


The Chief of Defence spoke to FMI employees during his visit. Photo: FMI KOM
The head of FMI, Lieutenant General Per Pugholm Olsen, was pleased with today's visit:
The Chief of Defence and I are in dialogue several times a week, where we meet and discuss the many different areas in which FMI can support the Defence. I am pleased that FC has now also had the opportunity to meet some of my managers and employees, who are the ones who are now working hard to support the operational units.


During the visit to FMI, Chief of Defence, General Michael Hyldgaard, had the opportunity to look at various items of equipment. Photo: FMI KOM
FMI has recently initiated several major acquisitions that play an important role in building a robust defense with increased combat power.

• In March 2025, FMI signed a contract for the acquisition of new Naval Strike Missiles. The missiles are an important step in the modernization of the Navy's capabilities.
  (Read more here).
  
  
• In December 2024, FMI signed the contract for the procurement of 115 new infantry fighting vehicles (IKK) for the Army, as well as a Mid-life Update on existing IKKs. The 115 new IKKs are part of the construction of the Army's heavy brigade. (Read more here).
  
  
• In September 2024, FMI signed the contract for the acquisition of air defense for the heavy brigade in the form of 16 turrets for Piranha 5 personnel carriers. The air defense is an essential part of the brigade's structure and increased combat power. (Read more here).

Denmark is talking about AD systems, and while having big and heavy systems are cumbersome, I think that Short and Medium range AD systems with modularity could be a good solution. Perhaps event something like Gürz.

I believe that having AAW Frigates/Corvette could be a good solution for covering and mobility.

I am thinking Denmarks Geographic location doesn't require much investment into Naval force for defense. And Denmark has built Frigates in the past mostly to live up to NATO missions and such. Which is another reason I think the Navys sparingly supplied with modern ships.

Perhaps a FAC with AAW capabilities could serve as well, but let's see.

Denmark has approved Conscription for Men and Women and it's 11 month and not 4 month as initially discussed.

There is a need to find lodgings as the current capacity is 5000 but needs to be increased to 7500.

__________________
I wish this could be implemented in Türkiye as well.

According to tweet Turkish defence company to build ammo, TNT production capability in Denmark for Nammo. I think the Norwegians won the tender to supply Danish Armed Forces.

Denmark may be on its way to buying many more F-35 aircraft, says Troels Lund
According to Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (V), right now there is a window where Denmark can strike and get more combat aircraft faster.

The first four F-35 fighter jets were handed over to Denmark at Skrydstrup Air Force Station in October 2023. Photo: Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix

Denmark may be on its way to buying at least ten more F-35 fighter jets from the United States.

This is what Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen (V) told TV 2 from Washington, D.C., where he is together with Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) and Chief of Defense Michael Hyldgaard.

Here they have held a meeting with those responsible for the F-35 program.

According to the Minister of Defense, there is currently a window in which Denmark can get more American fighter jets faster than if the government waits one or two years to order them.

"I assess that based on what I have spoken to people in the F-35 office, there is a good opportunity to accelerate further deliveries of F-35 fighter jets if we make a quick decision," he says.

Specifically, Troels Lund Poulsen will buy at least ten new fighter jets by October for an unknown - but "very large" - billion-dollar amount.

The Minister of Defense will not set a specific year for when the Danish aircraft fleet will be fully phased in, as according to him it depends on a number of factors.

Denmark has currently purchased 27 F-35 fighter jets from the American arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin.