The Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt experienced malfunctions with critical weapon and mission systems during a deployment to the Red Sea to protect maritime cargo traffic from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants. The frigate’s active phased array radar and C-Flex combat management system, produced by Thales Netherlands and Terma, had unexplained outages, preventing the launch of RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles for roughly 30 minutes. Issues with ammunition for the ship’s 76mm guns were also reported. The Danish Ministry of Defense has not confirmed the reports, but an investigation is reportedly underway.
Operational challenges in the area have also affected navies such as the German Navy Hessen frigate, which accidentally fired two missiles at a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone. Despite the problems, the Danish Armed Forces published a video showing the crew cheering as they successfully engaged an enemy target. The Defense Ministry stated that the Iver Huitfeldt frigate is on its way back to Denmark after completing its mission in the Red Sea, where the crew downed four drones. The Europe correspondent for Defense News, Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo, provided this information from Milan, Italy, where she is based.
