Denmark buys four Sky Guardian drones for Arctic surveillance
The Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization signed an agreement with NATO's Support and Procurement Agency, or NSPA, to acquire four MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the government agency announced on July 22.
The systems are expected to be delivered between 2028 and 2029 and will undergo a certification process to be able to fly in national and international airspace.
Although no contract value was disclosed, DALO listed three specific areas of interest where the drones could operate: the Arctic, the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea region.
The Arctic has become increasingly important for NATO's defense posture, especially in light of growing Russian presence and activities in the region.
For example, Russian ice-class LNG tanker Alexey Kosygin, sanctioned by the United States, is expected to become operational in the second half of this year at the country's Arctic LNG 2 plant, as reported by Reuters.
Having eyes in the sky is a priority for Arctic states, but acquiring drones that can operate in such a harsh environment can be challenging. The extreme cold impacts battery life, sensor performance and GPS signal quality.
According to a General Atomics spokesman, the MQ-9B drones are ready to operate in cold temperatures.
'The MQ-9B is perfect for the Arctic Security mission and has been designed, tested and certified for operations in extremely cold climates – it routinely flies at very high altitudes [maximum above 40,000 feet] where outside air is usually between -40 and -70 Fahrenheit (-40 and -56,6 Celsius),' spokesman C. Mark Brinkley told Defense News.
In its announcement, DALO highlighted that the drone purchase is being conducted in close cooperation with other allied NATO nations to ensure access to common knowledge.
Neighboring Norway has also shown interest in acquiring the MQ-9B, as part of its quest to get long-range maritime drones. North Grumman's MQ-4C Triton is also in the running there.
Solve the daily Crossword
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Map Shows Where Chinese Ships Have Been Detected off Alaska
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. China has simultaneously deployed five research vessels in or near the Arctic around Alaska recently, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which is currently monitoring their movements, telling Newsweek the service "remains ready to respond to adversaries operating in and around Alaskan and U.S. Arctic waters." Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for further comment via email. Why It Matters China has long asserted itself as a "near-Arctic state" and an important stakeholder in Arctic affairs. It has steadily expanded its presence in the region—surrounded by NATO member states and Russia—including deploying three research vessels simultaneously last summer. The U.S. has been alarmed by China's presence in the Arctic—as well as its cooperation with Russia—and the Pentagon has called for an increased military presence, enhanced intelligence capabilities, and greater cooperation with U.S. allies to address Chinese activity. What To Know Using open-source ship tracking data, a Newsweek map shows the voyages of Chinese vessels from their home coastline to waters near Alaska, while two United States and one Canadian icebreaker have been operating in the same region since late July. "China has always conducted normal maritime activities in relevant waters in accordance with international law," China's Embassy in Washington, D.C., previously told Newsweek. Maritime news outlet gCaptain was the first to report what it described as an "unprecedented Arctic move" by Chinese ships, while the U.S. Coast Guard operated only one icebreaker, USCGC Healy, in the Arctic to conduct a mission reinforcing U.S. presence in the region. In a press release on Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that it detected and responded to two Chinese research vessels—the Ji Di and the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di—operating in the U.S. Arctic on August 5 and 6 in the Bering Sea and the Bering Strait near Alaska. The Bering Sea and the Bering Strait lie between the Russian far east region to the west and Alaska to the east, serving as a gateway from the North Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean. On July 25, the U.S. Coast Guard monitored another Chinese ship—the Xue Long 2—on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf, an area that extends beyond 230 miles from Alaska's coastline. As of August 6, the ship remained in the area, according to Newsweek's map. "The presence of these vessels is consistent with a three-year trend of increased activity from Chinese research vessels operating in the U.S. Arctic," the U.S. Coast Guard said in the press release. While the U.S. Coast Guard did not identify the remaining two Chinese vessels operating near Alaska, gCaptain reported them to be the Shen Hai Yi Hao and the Tan Suo San Hao. As of August 6, the Shen Hai Yi Hao was tracked operating in proximity to the Xue Long 2, while the Tan Suo San Hao was heading toward the Bering Strait, Newsweek's map shows. At the same time, the Healy was sailing south of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf, and it has not been in visual contact with Chinese vessels, the U.S. Coast Guard told Newsweek. "The Coast Guard remains ready to respond to adversaries operating in and around Alaskan and U.S. Arctic waters," the service said in a written response to Newsweek on Friday. The Chinese research vessel "Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di" operates in waters in the Arctic region near Alaska on August 6, 2025. The Chinese research vessel "Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di" operates in waters in the Arctic region near Alaska on August 6, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard According to Chinese authorities, the Xue Long 2 is the country's first domestically made icebreaker, designed specifically for conducting polar research. The Ji Di is classified as a new-generation icebreaking research vessel, delivered just a little over a year ago. The Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di is an icebreaker operated by Sun Yat-sen University in China. The Shen Hai Yi Hao, also known as the Deep Sea No. 1, is a scientific expedition vessel specially designed to serve as the mothership for a manned submersible, the Jiaolong. The Tan Suo San Hao—or the Exploration No. 3—is China's first scientific research ship designed for global deep-sea exploration and capable of operating in polar regions. An image of the Chinese research ship "Xue Long 2," photographed by a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft, on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf in the Arctic on July 25, 2025. An image of the Chinese research ship "Xue Long 2," photographed by a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft, on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf in the Arctic on July 25, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard Meanwhile, USCGC Storis, the first polar icebreaker acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard in over 25 years, was commissioned in Juneau, Alaska, on Sunday. Its acquisition is part of the Coast Guard's efforts to ensure access to the polar regions and protect U.S. sovereignty. In addition to U.S. and Chinese vessels, the Canadian Coast Guard vessel CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier was tracked sailing along the northern coast of Alaska and Canada eastward as of August 6. It was deployed for icebreaking and scientific support in the Western Arctic. What People Are Saying The U.S. Coast Guard said in a press release on Friday: "The Coast Guard Arctic District works in conjunction with international partners, U.S. Northern Command, and Alaskan Command to constantly monitor the activity of foreign vessels operating near U.S. sovereign waters and the extended outer continental shelf to ensure homeland security, homeland defense, and compliance with U.S. and international law." China's Embassy in Washington, D.C., previously told Newsweek: "China has always conducted normal maritime activities in relevant waters in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We hope the parties concerned will view this matter in a proper manner, without undue suspicion or groundless speculation." What Happens Next It remains to be seen how long Chinese ships will operate in the Arctic near Alaska. The U.S. Coast Guard said its responses are aimed at countering malign activities, defending sovereign interests, and promoting maritime conduct consistent with international law and norms.
Wall Street Journal
21 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Armies Tormented by Drones Innovate Ways to Spot, Jam and Zap on the Cheap
BEMOWO PISKIE, Poland—When U.S. Army Sgt. Sebastian Zouzoulas became an electronic-warfare specialist, his main focus was detecting remote-control roadside explosives. That was four years ago—a whole generation back on the battlefield. Today, his work is all about countering drones.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Scientists Found a Mysterious Barrier in The Ocean That Jellyfish Won't Cross
In the cold darkness deep beneath the waves of the Arctic Ocean, a hidden barrier appears to separate the haves from the have-nots. There, in the midnight zone more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) below the surface, the gossamer jellyfish of the subspecies Botrynema brucei ellinorae drifting in the water column have two distinct shapes. Some have hoods topped by a distinctive knob-shaped structure; others are smooth and unknobbed. A new survey of the distributions of these two morphotypes has revealed something very strange at a latitude of 47 degrees north. "Both types occur in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions," explains marine biologist Javier Montenegro of the University of Western Australia, "but specimens without a knob have never been found south of the North Atlantic Drift region, which extends from the Grand Banks off Newfoundland eastwards to north-western Europe." Related: There's an Invisible Line That Animals Don't Cross. Here's Why. At some places in the world, even in the absence of a hard physical barrier, there are lines that separate how animals are distributed. The Wallace Line in the Indonesian archipelago is one; so too are the Lydekker Line and the Weber Line separating the islands of southeast Asia from Australia and Papua New Guinea. On either side of these lines, the types of animals found in comparable niches are quite distinct. Such lines are known as faunal boundaries, and they can be drawn by environmental differences between two regions, physical barriers that have since disappeared over eons as the world changed, ocean currents, and other factors. Because they are not clearly demarcated, faunal barriers like this are hard to spot. This difficulty increases exponentially for the deep ocean, a part of the world that is extremely hostile to the human body. Between crushing pressures, freezing temperatures, and the absence of light, the only way we can explore down there is by remote-controlled robots. Montenegro and his colleagues conducted their survey of jellyfish distribution by the collection of specimens, both from research vessels using nets, and remotely-operated underwater vehicles. They also studied historical observations and photographic records. To their surprise, genetic analysis revealed that the jellyfish with a knob and the jellyfish without a knob belonged to the same genetic lineage. But, while the knobbed jellyfish can be found all over the world, jellyfish without a knob can only be found north of 47 degrees, suggesting a semi-permeable faunal boundary in the North Atlantic Drift region. "The differences in shape, despite strong genetic similarities across specimens, above and below 47 degrees north hint at the existence of an unknown deep-sea bio-geographic barrier in the Atlantic Ocean," Montenegro says. "It could keep specimens without a knob confined to the north while allowing the free transit of specimens with a knob further south, with the knob possibly giving a selective advantage against predators outside the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions." Further research is necessary to determine what creates this invisible barrier keeping the knob-less jellyfish confined to Arctic and sub-Arctic waters, although previous research describes the North Atlantic Drift region as a "transition ecotone with admixture of boreal and subtropical species." This suggests a dividing line between environmental conditions. The finding underscores just how little we know about the deep ocean, and suggests that other such barriers may be scattered throughout the globe. It also suggests that a comprehensive understanding of the life that teems the ocean yet eludes us. "The presence of two specimens with distinctive shapes within a single genetic lineage highlights the need to study more about the biodiversity of gelatinous marine animals," Montenegro says. The research has been published in Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. Related News Leopard Seal Mating Songs Are Eerily Like Our Nursery Rhymes Massive Earthquake Could Strike Canada as Ancient Fault Line Wakes Surprising Study Finds Potatoes Evolved From Tomato Ancestor Solve the daily Crossword
