Trump's Greenland Comments Backfire: Denmark Abandons Lockheed (Equipment), Contract Worth $9 Billion
The idea that "Europe will only purchase American weapons" has become a mirage
Image: SAMP/T air defense system jointly developed by France and Italy
This news has caused a stir in the global arms market — Denmark, in its selection of air defense systems, has abandoned the U.S. "Patriot" system and opted for the French-Italian SAMP/T system. This move is clearly the first victory of the "purchase European weapons" campaign.
The Danish Ministry of Defense stated in an official statement on September 12: "The Danish armed forces are building a ground-based air defense system that can protect civilians, military facilities, and critical infrastructure from aerial threats. The long-range air defense system will be procured from the French-Italian SAMP/T, while the medium-range air defense system will be selected from one or more of the following systems: Norway's NASAMS, Germany's IRIS-T, and France's VL MICA."
The Danish Ministry of Defense emphasized: "The system selection is based on a comprehensive assessment of operational effectiveness, economic cost, and strategic factors."
In addition, the statement pointed out that Denmark will invest approximately 5.8 billion Danish kroner (equivalent to 911 million USD) in the procurement and maintenance of ground-based air defense and missile defense systems.
With this decision, Denmark became the fourth European country to deploy the SAMP/T system, following France, Italy, and Ukraine.
The background of Denmark's selection was that in February 2025, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen ordered the emergency procurement of military equipment, citing the "potential Russian invasion threat to Europe." After the incident in Poland where "intercepting Russian drones" occurred, Denmark further solidified its determination to strengthen its air defense capabilities.
Denmark's choice to procure SAMP/T instead of the battle-tested "Patriot" reflects a shift in European strategic thinking — these countries believe that the United States under Donald Trump is no longer reliable.
Previously, the chairman of the Danish Parliament's Defense Committee, Rasmus Jarlov, publicly expressed regret over the decision to choose F-35 stealth fighters.
Notably, Denmark's decision to favor SAMP/T marks the first major setback for the U.S. in this field, as the call to "buy European weapons" is gaining traction across the continent.
On the other hand, this is a victory for France — France is using the general distrust of the U.S. among European countries to position its own weapons as a reliable alternative to American equipment.
Macron seized the opportunity to promote the "Rafale" fighter jet as an alternative to the F-35 and the SAMP/T system as an alternative to the "Patriot".
As early as March this year, Macron stated: "We should recommend the new French-Italian SAMP/T system to those purchasing 'Patriots' and the Rafale fighter jet to those purchasing F-35s. This is a way to improve weapon production efficiency." Since then, France and Italy have collaborated to pursue the SAMP/T system procurement contract.
For example, during the Paris Air Show, Eric Tabaki, a military advisor from Eurosam, highlighted the performance of the SAMP/T air defense system, stating that it indeed outperforms the "Patriot" in several key indicators.
He specifically mentioned that the new radar developed by the Franco-Italian joint venture rotates once per second, with a detection range exceeding 350 kilometers, allowing the SAMP/T system to achieve 360-degree coverage.
Since Trump was re-elected as President of the United States, he has repeatedly called for the annexation of resource-rich Greenland, a statement that has sparked strong dissatisfaction from the Danish government.
The Danish government, supported by other European countries, condemned Trump's calls, considering them a direct infringement on Danish sovereignty. In fact, this event has brought European countries closer than ever before, strengthening internal cooperation within Europe.
The "Patriot" system was jointly developed by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and has been in service since the 1980s, undergoing multiple upgrades (models include PAC-1, PAC-2, and PAC-3), with continuously improving anti-missile capabilities.
The system has participated in various conflicts, including the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the Yemen conflict, and is now also used in Ukraine.
Initially, Ukraine praised the "Patriot" highly, even exaggerating its performance, claiming it could "intercept the 'Kinzhal' hypersonic missile." However, there were indeed several Russian aircraft shot down by the "Patriot" system.
EurAsian Times pointed out that the West fully believed the statements from Ukraine, which directly led to a surge in global demand for the "Patriot" system.
By contrast, the SAMP/T is a later deployed system (since 2010), mainly used for regional air defense and anti-missile operations.
The system was developed by Eurosam, a joint venture between MBDA missile systems company and Thales, aiming to protect battlefield areas and important tactical targets from attacks by aircraft, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles. Although it has less combat experience compared to the "Patriot", the SAMP/T system has been in use in Ukraine for two years.
The PAC-3 MSE interception missile of the "Patriot" system has a range of about 180 kilometers, while the "Aster-30" missile of the SAMP/T system can intercept airborne targets within a range of 150 kilometers.
The PAC-3 MSE interception missile uses "hit-to-kill" technology, equipped with tungsten fragments, capable of high-precision strikes against ballistic targets; the "Aster-30" missile also uses the "hit-to-kill" mechanism, but carries a fragment-high explosive warhead.
It is believed that the PAC-3 MSE interception missile has higher interception efficiency against ballistic missiles, but is less versatile than the "Aster-30" missile.
However, in the Ukrainian theater, the SAMP/T system has performed worse than the "Patriot" in intercepting ballistic missiles, facing many difficulties. It is reported that software issues and performance limitations of the "Aster-30 Block 1" missiles produced before 2015 have significantly reduced its efficiency in dealing with modern ballistic threats.
The "Patriot" system is equipped with AN/MPQ-53/65 phased array radar and "TVM" guidance system, which enhances multi-target strike capability through advanced data processing algorithms, capable of tracking 100 targets simultaneously and intercepting 8 of them.
The SAMP/T system is equipped with the latest "Arabel" radar, which can also track 100 targets, but can intercept 16 targets at the same time, providing more reliable protection for key centers and infrastructure.
The standard operating mode of the "Patriot" is to launch two interception missiles at a single target, while the SAMP/T adopts a more conservative tactic (launching one interception missile at a single target) — this method saves ammunition, but may result in lower interception efficiency in high-intensity combat scenarios.
Additionally, due to its larger size and more complex structure, the "Patriot" system is far less mobile than the SAMP/T.
Eurosam claims that the upgraded SAMP/T system has surpassed the "Patriot" in multiple performance aspects, such as equipping a full-scanning radar and using vertical launch for missiles (rather than inclined launch), enabling 360-degree, all-around strikes.
More importantly, the SAMP/T system requires only 15 people to complete deployment, while the current U.S. military's "Patriot" missile battery requires 90 soldiers to operate. Additionally, the SAMP/T is more cost-effective.
In summary, both systems have their strengths. In short, the "Patriot" excels in certain areas with its proven reliability, global integration capabilities, and anti-missile advantages, while the SAMP/T has more advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness, high mobility, and multi-threat response capabilities.
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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7550256556131009043/
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