Denmark Eyes Israeli Barak MX Defense System Layered Shield Against Drones and Cruise Missiles.

Denmark is assessing a near-term purchase of Israel Aerospace Industries’ Barak MX air and missile defense system after repeated drone incursions over airports and military sites, with delivery signaled as early as summer 2026. The move would bridge a capability gap before newly selected European long-range systems arrive, adding electronic attack to reduce the cost of countering low-cost UAVs.

Copenhagen is in talks with Israel Aerospace Industries to quickly field Barak MX, a layered air and missile defense solution that couples kinetic interceptors with the Scorpius electronic attack suite for non-kinetic drone defeat, according to Danish public broadcaster DR reporting. The consideration follows Denmark’s record air defense decision in September to procure the Franco-Italian SAMP/T NG for long-range coverage, a program that will take several years to field, creating a near-term gap that Barak MX could help close starting next year.
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Barak MX launcher and AESA radar supporting vertical launch interceptors for medium to long-range defense. (Picture source: IAI)

Existing Danish orders will take time to field. Franco-Italian SAMP/T NG batteries are expected to start arriving at the end of 2028, with full architecture no later than 2032, creating a gap in counter-UAS and medium-range point defense that Barak MX could partly cover next year by pairing interceptors with the Scorpius electronic-attack suite for non-kinetic drone defeat.

Barak MX is a modular, integrated air and missile defense system combining the Barak battle management center, ELTA GaN AESA radars such as ELM-2084 or ELM-2138, and unified land launchers. Three interceptor types provide coverage: MRAD to about 35 km, LRAD to about 70 km, and ER with a booster to about 150 km and up to 30 km altitude. Features include vertical 360° launch, active RF seekers with high ECCM resilience, in-flight datalink, and a stated 50 g maneuver capability. Each launcher carries eight missiles, can be readied in under two minutes in fixed, deployable, or mobile configurations, and interfaces with existing C2 to generate a unified air picture. The ELM-2084 class radar tracks both air-breathing and ballistic profiles, and launchers can mix missile types to tailor loadouts per site.

In operational use, the system supports point and area defense in all weather, day and night, against aircraft, helicopters, glide bombs, drones, and cruise missiles, with ER interceptors addressing ballistic-type profiles. Employment logic is to align range and altitude to the site, maintain short-reaction coverage at very short distances, and sustain volume of fire through vertical launch and multi-interceptor management by the BMC. The architecture accepts legacy or new sensors, easing integration into a layered defense for mobile land forces.

Soft-kill is relevant because drones are numerous, low cost, and often expendable. Scorpius uses narrow-beam RF energy to jam command links and navigation, limiting disruption to other spectrum users, which suits peacetime incidents near airports where authorities seek controlled effects. Non-kinetic measures are not sufficient in every case, and interceptors remain necessary against autonomous or pre-programmed platforms; combining both reduces engagement costs.

In June, Israel reported the first naval operational use of the Barak family, with multiple incoming UAVs intercepted. Open sources in Europe viewed this as a move from trials to operational service, including at sea where clutter, multipath, and timelines are demanding. While details remain classified, the event suggested the missile segment can address saturation attempts.

Tactically and operationally, Denmark’s requirement spans three areas: daily airspace security around critical nodes requiring rapid detection, classification, and scalable effects; layered defense against cruise and ballistic profiles, where Barak ER contributes as SAMP/T NG becomes the long-range backbone; and mobility, since Barak MX components can be mounted on mobile platforms to protect deployments, exercises, or temporary sites. Mixing interceptors with non-kinetic effects within the same defended footprint helps crews handle nuisance drones and more complex targets within minutes.

The debate in Copenhagen reflects a wider European push on counter-drone and integrated air and missile defense. Brussels is advancing a continent-wide effort with sensor grids and jamming capabilities by 2026–2027, while member states pursue national acquisitions and industrial partnerships. A Barak MX purchase would add to European procurements from Israel and could draw parliamentary scrutiny on legal and political grounds. It would also indicate a preference for near-term readiness rather than waiting for purely European solutions to mature, a path several capitals are taking as airspace harassment becomes frequent.