During a visit to Greenland, Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus (S) will visit Air Greenland before a possible leasing agreement.
The Danish Armed Forces is close to entering into a leasing agreement with the airline Air Greenland, which will take over tasks with monitoring the Arctic.
Among other things, it will be on the agenda when Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus (S) visits Greenland for the first time in his new role on Monday.
– I will work on finalizing that agreement in the very short future. Air Greenland must take over some of the tasks the Challenger aircraft have been used for, says Jeppe Bruus to Ritzau.
– It is in our interest that we continue to have the capacity to monitor what is happening in Greenland. That is why we are in the process of negotiating the leasing of aircraft for surveillance, it says.
The Defense Minister’s Challenger aircraft are “nearing their last expiration date”, explains the Minister of Defence. They are being phased out, and in a leasing agreement Air Greenland must take over the tasks of the Challenger aircraft.
It has previously been described that the Challenger surveillance aircraft have not been fully available for several periods, which was due to technical improvements and maintenance.
In 2024, the Norwegian Armed Forces flew over Greenland for a total of 278 days. Thus, Greenland was without aerial surveillance every four days, Berlingske wrote in August 2025.
In January earlier this year, it was announced by the Ministry of Defense that they were negotiating with Air Greenland about “taking over surveillance tasks”.
In a partial political agreement on the Arctic, it was decided that the Challenger aircraft must be phased out. In this connection, it was said that cooperation agreements should be established with local actors in Greenland.
During his visit to Greenland, Jeppe Bruus will meet with Greenland’s minister for foreign affairs, Mute B. Egede.
Among other things, the Minister of Defense will drop by the Arctic Command’s headquarters and several Greenlandic companies – including Air Greenland.
– It has been a big priority for me in my new role as Minister of Defense to visit Greenland quickly, says Jeppe Bruus.
Jeppe Bruus took over the role of Minister of Defense on 3 June, and the quick visit pleases Mute B. Egede.
– I am particularly pleased that we will be meeting with the Greenlandic companies that contribute in various ways to support the Defense’s task solution in Greenland, he says in a press release.
Defense chief Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard will also participate in Monday’s visit to Greenland.
/ritzau/
