In June 2023, the Denmark’s Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) signed an agreement with Danske Patruljeskibe – a consortium comprising Terma, Odense Maritime Technology and PensionDanmark – for the design for a new generation of patrol vessels for the Danish Armed Forces.
In so doing, DALO has selected Danske Patruljeskibe as the party responsible for the development of a new class of future-proofed naval vessels for the Danish Armed Forces that will be delivered using what it described as “a groundbreaking cooperation model.” It has also selected a design that draws heavily on another groundbreaking Danish concept, the Flyvefisken-class ‘Standard Flex 300’ modular vessels built for the Royal Danish Navy in the 1980s that used a standardised hull and containerised weapons and mission systems that enabled the ships to be rapidly re-configured typically in as little as 48 hours, enabling them to be configured for surveillance/pollution control, combat, mine countermeasures and as minelayers.
The agreement covers detailed design and the development of a ‘construction strategy’ that will ensure that the new vessels meet the demands of The Danish Armed Forces while establishing a base for the construction of the vessels using a cooperative approach that will include Danske Patruljeskibe and a range of industrial players. It follows a June 2021 agreement that initiated the development of the programme for new class of naval vessel for the Danish Armed Forces, and an April 222 announcement by DALO that it intended to acquire the new vessels from Danske Patruljeskibe, which will be responsible for design, integration of systems, construction and maintenance for an initial, as yet unspecified period of time.
Hans Schneider, CEO of Danske Patruljeskibe said, “Working in close cooperation with the Danish Armed Forces and subcontractors, we look forward to developing new naval vessels to patrol Denmark’s security and marine environment. The agreement will be the starting point for the consolidation of critical national critical competences, which in the long-term will strengthen Denmark’s security of supply in the maritime area.”
The new vessels will make use of interchangeable mission modules for air, surface and subsea capability based on ‘The Cube,’ a modular concept developed by SH Defence.
The Cube uses modules based on the physical footprint of a shipping container that are loaded into mission bays in the vessel’s hull. In so doing, said SH Defence, The Cube provides and ‘Cube Ready’ modules provide a ‘plug and play’ multi-mission capability.
