On December 29, 2025, the US Department of Defense's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) sent a notification to the US Congress about the possible upcoming sale of three Boeing P-8A Poseidon base patrol aircraft to Denmark through the US Foreign Military Sales Program (FMS). This delivery has been approved by the U.S. Department of State. The total cost of the proposed delivery will be $1.8 billion, including a full set of equipment and training and technical support packages. Armament and radio hydroacoustic buoys will not be included in the delivery.
Boeing P-8A Poseidon Basic Patrol Aircraft of the US Navy (c) US Navy
In October 2025, Denmark announced a plan to allocate an additional $4.2 billion to meet its defense needs in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions, including Greenland. The plan includes the purchase of two new large Arctic patrol ships, early warning radars and new basic patrol aircraft. Denmark will also establish a new Arctic Command headquarters in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, and form a new military unit within the Joint Arctic Command in Greenland.
Earlier in September 2025, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that the Danish government could invest "tens of billions of [Danish] crowns" in the purchase of basic P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft. "I would prefer cooperation with other NATO countries in order to get the most out of the invested funds and provide more flexibility. But if this is not possible, I am also ready for us to purchase P-8 aircraft ourselves, which, in fact, are capable of hunting submarines," Poulsen said.
In 2025, Boeing and the Danish company Terma signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the possibility of closer cooperation under the Poseidon program, including maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of these aircraft in Denmark. Denmark could potentially become an MRO center that would service both its own P-8A aircraft and aircraft of this type from other European operators.
As part of the Danish Air Force, three P-8A aircraft are to replace the three currently used for maritime patrol as part of the 712 Squadron of the modified Bombardier CL-604 Challenger business jet produced in the 1990s. In particular, one of these aircraft is constantly on a rotating basis at Kangerlussuaq airfield in Greenland. According to the Danish Ministry of Defense, Challenger aircraft, in addition to their limited capabilities (essentially suitable only for surface reconnaissance and surveillance), are also facing growing operational readiness problems and are nearing the end of their service life, and the issue of their replacement is being discussed from 2024. In general, for Denmark, the acquisition of the P-8A will be a significant leap in maritime patrol and anti-submarine capabilities.
If the purchase is implemented, Denmark will become the tenth foreign customer of Poseidon aircraft.
In July 2025, the Danish Ministry of Defense also signed an agreement to purchase four long‑range General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAVs, with delivery in 2028-2029, which are also expected to be used mainly in the Arctic and Greenland zones.
Bombardier CL-604 Challenger maritime patrol aircraft (tail number C-080) from the 712 Squadron of the Danish Air Force (c) Ministry of Defense of Denmark
