Denmark Picks Two Missiles: Kongsberg JSM and Covenant Anthem
Denmark’s Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus announced on Thursday, October 22, 2026, that Copenhagen plans to acquire two separate long-range strike missiles rather than settle on a single supplier. The systems in question are the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) from Norway’s Kongsberg and the Anthem missile from Covenant, a German-American venture.
According to Bruus, the move is meant to strengthen Denmark’s ability to retaliate after an attack. The Kongsberg JSM would be launched from F-35 fighters, while Covenant’s Anthem is designed as a ground-launched system. Anthem is a genuinely new platform — it has not yet been used in any combat setting.
Denmark’s defense ministry did not put a specific figure on either missile’s range. Weapons in the “long-range” strike category are generally understood to fall somewhere between 500 and 1,500 kilometers, though that is an industry-wide benchmark rather than a confirmed Danish specification. Danish broadcaster TV2 reported that quantities, total cost and delivery timelines have not been made public either.
Production of the Anthem missiles destined for Denmark will take place in Germany. Covenant announced a manufacturing site in Leipzig last month and has said serial production there could begin as early as 2027 — a sign that a newly formed European missile maker is only now working its way into the continent’s supply chain.
The decision is tied to a commitment Denmark has made to NATO: the country is expected to field a long-range strike capability for the alliance by 2030. Bruus described the purchases as “a significant step toward improving Denmark’s self-defense capabilities.”
Denmark’s dual-track approach fits into a broader pattern taking shape across Europe. Countries on the continent are building up long-range missile stocks as a deterrent against Russia, a push that has gathered pace partly because of uncertainty over how far the Trump administration will go in backing similar European weapons programs. Germany’s defense ministry, for its part, has said only that it remains in talks with Covenant about closing its own long-range strike gap — no order has been placed there yet.
On pricing, Covenant maintains that Anthem will undercut existing options on the market. Reuters has previously reported that the company’s target price for serial production sits in the mid-six-figure range per unit, a figure that would make it considerably cheaper than some rival missiles priced in the millions.
Denmark’s decision to work with two suppliers simultaneously suggests a deliberate hedge against depending on a single source. Kongsberg’s JSM is an operationally proven system already integrated with the F-35, while Covenant’s Anthem remains unproven in the field but potentially far cheaper once production scales up. Pairing the two lets Denmark field a working capability in the near term while keeping an eye on a lower-cost alternative as it matures.
The next milestones worth watching are how quickly Covenant’s Leipzig plant reaches production and when Denmark’s purchase turns into a signed contract on the path toward its 2030 NATO commitment.
Sources:
– Defense News, “Denmark plans to buy two long-range strike missiles,” Sebastian Sprenger, October 22, 2026 — https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/10/22/denmark-to-buy-kongsberg-covenant-missiles-for-new-long-range-strike-option/ (primary source for the minister’s statement, missile details and procurement context)
