They Will Guard NATO’s Seas and Skies
On September 29, a Heron TP unmanned aerial vehicle flew over Denmark. This German drone, piloted from and taking off from a base in Schleswig, flew over the Jutland Peninsula as part of a bilateral exercise. At first glance, this seemingly routine event may offer a glimpse into the future of NATO’s drone defense.
Denmark is one of NATO’s most important members – not because of its military strength, but because of the territory it encompasses. The Kingdom of Denmark also includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands. In both cases, this entails control over and defense of the adjacent maritime areas. At the same time, it serves as a strategically important “plug” for the Baltic Sea.
Together with Iceland and the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands and Greenland form the so-called GIUK Line. This is one of the most strategically important maritime passages in the North Atlantic. Any Russian submarine departing from its northern bases – such as Murmansk – must pass through this line when carrying out operational missions in the Atlantic. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian submarine activity in the region has reached levels comparable to those during the Cold War, making Denmark an absolutely key player in monitoring the area.
Denmark has long relied on satellite imagery, patrol boats, and older Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft to monitor this area. However, due to Russia’s increasing activity, these patrols are becoming increasingly costly.
Since 2022, there has been rapid development in unmanned technologies, and Denmark has decided to utilize MALE (Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance) drones as the future backbone of its reconnaissance efforts, as well as other naval operations. In July 2025, Denmark signed a contract to purchase four MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones from the American company General Atomics. In addition, it will acquire three certified ground control stations from which pilots will operate their drones.
Denmark is acquiring these assets to ensure long-term surveillance, reconnaissance, and protection across vast areas of the Arctic, Greenland, the Atlantic, and the Baltic Sea. In this regard, drones are intended to be a less costly and more efficient alternative to traditional aerial surveillance. Entire reconnaissance missions will be controlled by operators safely from the ground via remote control stations, and the drone itself can remain airborne for more than 30 hours at a time, which will significantly increase efficiency.
In this regard, the overflight by the German Heron TP drone is part of Denmark’s preparations to take delivery of its new unmanned aerial vehicles, which is expected in 2028. The Heron operated at an altitude of approximately 7,000 meters above ground level, and its objective was to verify whether a military drone could safely operate in Denmark’s non-segregated civil airspace, which it shares with commercial aircraft. Safety procedures were successfully verified, and the exercise thus fulfilled its purpose.
The government in Copenhagen procured the MQ-9B SkyGuardian through the NSPA (NATO Support and Procurement Agency), which allows member countries to share the costs of maintenance, training, and logistics with other European operators. The United Kingdom and Poland, for example, have also acquired similar drones.
To enable them to carry out missions in cold regions and over vast expanses of ocean, Denmark is having them equipped with a specific maritime package from the SeaGuardian variant. This version is currently the world’s first unmanned aerial vehicle capable of tracking and targeting objects both on the sea surface and deep below it, enabling it to participate in anti-submarine warfare. By utilizing the SkyGuardian with SeaGuardian technologies, Denmark gains an exceptional platform not only for its own needs but also for monitoring and deterring Russian submarines.
The unmanned aerial vehicle can operate and collect data in multiple environments simultaneously. It monitors airspace, the sea surface, and the area beneath it. During combat operations, it is capable of sharing the collected information in real time in coordination with the navy, which also speeds up the process of evaluating that data. The drone is also adapted to harsh Arctic conditions, as it is equipped with an advanced anti-icing system.
