Royal Danish Navy (Søværnet) Frigate Niels Juel was installed with SM-2 Block IIIA surface-to-air missiles for the first time. HDMS Niels Juel (F363) is an Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate in the Royal Danish Navy. The U.S. State Department has decided to approve a possible Foreign Military Sale to Denmark of up to forty-six (46) Standard Missile, SM-2 Block IIIA All-Up Rounds, RIM BK IIIA (VLS), and other related equipment for an estimated cost of $152 million. This proposed sale would support Denmark’s anti-air warfare capabilities for the Royal Danish Navy’s IVER HUITFELDT Frigate Class ships.
The Government of Denmark has requested to buy up to forty-six (46) Standard Missile, SM-2 Block IIIA Vertical Launching Tactical All-Up Rounds, RIM 066M-03-BK IIIA (VLS); up to two (2) Standard Missile, SM-2 Block IIIA Telemetry, Omni-Directional, AllUp Rounds, RIM-066M-03-BK IIIA (VLS); and up to two (2) Standard Missile, SM-2 Block IIIA Telemetry, Omni-Directional Antenna, Warhead Dud Capable, RIM 066M-03-BK IIIA (VLS). Also included are MK 13 MOD 0 Vertical Launching System Canisters, operator manuals, technical documentation, logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support.
The SM-2 has conducted more than 2,700 successful live firings. In June 2017, Raytheon announced it was restarting the SM-2 production line to fulfill purchases made by the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, and South Korea. New deliveries of SM-2 Block IIIA and IIIB missiles are scheduled to begin in 2020. The U.S. Navy is committed to keeping the Standard Missile 2 medium-range viable until 2035. The Standard can also be used against ships, either at line-of-sight range using its semi-active homing mode or over the horizon using inertial guidance and terminal infrared homing. The SM-2 has an extensive flight test history, with more than 2,700 successful live firings.
HDMS Niels Juel (F363) is an Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate in the Royal Danish Navy. The ship is named after Niels Juel, a 17th-century Danish admiral. The frigates are compatible with the Danish Navy’s StanFlex modular mission payload system used in the Absalons and are designed with slots for six modules. Each of the four stanflex positions on the missile deck can accommodate either the Mark 141 8-cell Harpoon launcher module, or the 12-cell Mark 56 ESSM VLS. The three new Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates will be equipped for an air defense role with Standard Missiles, and the potential to use Tomahawk cruise missiles, a first for the Danish Navy.
