SM-2 Block IIIA comes aboard Danish corvette
SM-2 missiles being loaded aboard the Royal Danish Navy corvette Niels Juel. (Photo: Rune Dyrholm/Danish MoD)
New medium-range air defence missiles will undergo tests aboard the Iver Huitfeldt-class corvette Niels Juel.
The Royal Danish Navy (RDN) has installed its first SM-2 Block IIIA missiles.
The Danish MoD announced on 3 May that the missiles, installed aboard the Iver Huitfeldt-class corvette HDMS Niels Juel, will undergo weapon system and fire control tests.
‘ We have updated the software on the fire control systems on the ship, and now we need to verify that it works,’ said Anders Skeel, project manager for the acquisition of the SM-2 missile system at the Materiel and Procurement Agency within the Danish MoD.
He added: ‘We have previously tested the systems with a test missile that was not able to fly, and now we have to test with missiles that can actually do that.’
Pending final approval, the SM-2 Block IIIA missile system will be deployed on all three Iver Huitfeldt-class corvettes and (potentially) other RDN vessels for area defence.
SM-2 Block IIIA is a radar-seeking medium-range SAM that is primarily deployed to defeat anti-ship missiles and hostile aircraft.
‘It is not intended for fighting ballistic missiles,’ the Danish MoD emphasised.
The Iver Huitfeldt-class vessels each feature a 32-cell Mk41 vertical launch system for the SM-2.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Second Royal Canadian Navy Joint Support Ship is on schedule to be launched mid-2026]()
Second Royal Canadian Navy Joint Support Ship is on schedule to be launched mid-2026
While the first Joint Support Ship is currently in the final stages of outfitting, the second one is on schedule for launching next year.
-
![Is South Korea finally being taken seriously for Western submarine programmes?]()
Is South Korea finally being taken seriously for Western submarine programmes?
South Korean shipbuilders are beginning to make their mark beyond Asia, competing for major North American and European submarine programmes and becoming serious contenders on a global scale.
-
![AUKUS Pillar 2 could narrow focus to “four key areas” says UK official]()
AUKUS Pillar 2 could narrow focus to “four key areas” says UK official
Few concrete ideas have emerged so far on which “advanced capabilities” will be brought forward under Pillar 2 of the AUKUS partnership, but the Pentagon’s review of the programme could bring more clarity.
