U.S. Approves Possible $425M MH-60R Sale to Strengthen Denmark’s Maritime Helicopter Fleet.

The United States has approved a possible $425 million sale of three additional MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to Denmark, according to a State Department notification issued September 22, 2026, potentially expanding the Danish fleet from nine to twelve aircraft. The increase would strengthen Denmark’s ability to sustain maritime surveillance and anti-submarine operations across the North Atlantic and Arctic while keeping more helicopters available for shipborne deployments, training and maintenance.

The package includes multi-mode radar, electronic warfare and self-protection equipment, multispectral targeting systems and digital magnetic anomaly detectors that would improve the Seahawks’ ability to detect, track and operate against maritime threats. Combined with Denmark’s ongoing integration of torpedoes, dipping sonar and sonobuoys, the additional aircraft would support a broader anti-submarine warfare role while increasing operational coverage around Greenland, the Faroe Islands and NATO’s northern maritime approaches.

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The United States has approved a possible $425 million sale of three additional MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to Denmark, potentially expanding its maritime fleet and strengthening anti-submarine warfare, Arctic surveillance and homeland defense capabilities (Picture Source: U.S. Navy)

September 22, 2026, marked a new step in Denmark’s maritime aviation buildup as the United States approved a possible $425 million Foreign Military Sale covering three additional MH-60R Seahawk multi-mission helicopters and an extensive package of equipment and support. The prospective acquisition would expand an established Danish Seahawk fleet while reinforcing capabilities linked to maritime surveillance, homeland defense, critical infrastructure protection and undersea warfare. The U.S. Department of State announced the determination under Foreign Military Sales Congressional Notification Transmittal No. 26-91.

The proposed package extends well beyond the delivery of three helicopters. Denmark has requested eight embedded Global Positioning System/Precise Positioning Service/Inertial Navigation Systems equipped with Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Modules, with six intended for installation and two retained as spares, alongside three digital magnetic anomaly detection systems. The package also includes T700-GE-401D engines and a broad range of communications, identification, electronic warfare, self-protection and mission equipment. The estimated $425 million value covers the aircraft, associated systems, training, technical assistance, spare parts and logistics support rather than representing the cost of the helicopters alone.

The mission equipment provides a clearer indication of the operational capability Denmark is seeking. The notification lists AN/ARC-210 RT-2036 secure radios, AN/AAR-47 missile warning systems, AN/APX-128 identification friend-or-foe transponders, AN/ALE-47 countermeasure dispensers, AN/AAS-44C(V) multispectral targeting systems, AN/ALQ-210 electronic support measures suites and APS-153(V) multi-mode radars. Advanced data-transfer equipment, Joint Mission Planning Systems and cryptographic systems are also included. Combined with the requested digital magnetic anomaly detection systems, the package would give the additional aircraft a sensor, communications and survivability architecture suited to complex maritime operations.

The aircraft would join an established Royal Danish Air Force fleet rather than introduce a new helicopter type. Denmark currently operates nine MH-60R Seahawks assigned to Squadron 723 at Helicopter Wing Karup, with the type having entered Danish operational service in 2017 as the replacement for the Lynx Mk.90B. If all three additional helicopters are acquired, the fleet would rise from nine to twelve aircraft, a one-third increase in total fleet size. That expansion could offer greater flexibility to sustain deployed aircraft while maintaining availability for training, maintenance and other operational commitments. Danish Seahawks already operate from naval vessels around Greenland and the Faroe Islands and have also deployed internationally aboard Danish frigates.

The proposed acquisition also arrives as Denmark develops the MH-60R into a more capable anti-submarine warfare platform. The Danish Armed Forces began torpedo integration testing in May 2025 and has been preparing the helicopters to employ dipping sonar and sonobuoys alongside torpedoes, creating the ability to both locate and engage submarines once the capability reaches full operational maturity. Danish MH-60Rs were also used for anti-submarine warfare training during NATO’s Cold Response activities in northern Norway in 2026. Against that backdrop, the inclusion of digital magnetic anomaly detection systems in the new U.S. package is particularly relevant, adding another sensor option for detecting and tracking submerged targets.

The fleet expansion also carries a strong Arctic and North Atlantic dimension. Denmark’s Seahawks perform maritime surveillance, fisheries inspection, transport, search-and-rescue and sovereignty missions from inspection vessels operating around Greenland and the Faroe Islands. They can also land and refuel aboard Knud Rasmussen-class patrol vessels, allowing those ships to function as forward operating points that extend helicopter reach during missions at sea. Denmark has increased military activity in and around Greenland during 2026 alongside NATO allies, including exercises focused on Arctic operations, naval activity and protection of critical infrastructure. Seahawk helicopters are among the air capabilities available to Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command.

This existing operating structure is important for the proposed sale. The State Department assessed that Denmark would have no difficulty absorbing the additional equipment and services because its armed forces already operate the MH-60R. The package includes spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, technical documentation, personnel training, ferry support and U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics services. It also covers integration, testing and obsolescence-engineering work connected with production readiness for the Danish aircraft. This approach would allow Copenhagen to expand an existing ecosystem of crews, maintainers, infrastructure and operational procedures rather than establish an entirely new aviation capability.

Lockheed Martin in Owego, New York, and Sikorsky in Stratford, Connecticut, are identified as the principal contractors. The U.S. government said it was not aware of any offset agreement associated with the potential sale, with any future arrangement to be determined through negotiations between Denmark and the contractors. Washington also stated that implementation would not require the assignment of additional U.S. government or contractor representatives to Denmark and would have no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness.

The September 22 notification represents authorization for a possible Foreign Military Sale, not confirmation of a finalized $425 million procurement contract. Yet the proposed package outlines a clear direction for Denmark’s maritime aviation force: a larger MH-60R fleet supported by advanced radar, electronic warfare, targeting, navigation and submarine-detection systems. If the acquisition proceeds, Denmark would move from nine to twelve Seahawks at a time when the aircraft is evolving into a more capable anti-submarine warfare platform and when Copenhagen is expanding military activity across the Arctic and North Atlantic. The combination of additional aircraft, broader sensor coverage and an established shipborne operating model could give Denmark greater flexibility to support homeland defense, critical infrastructure protection, NATO maritime operations and sustained missions around Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

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Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.