HDMS IVER HUITFELDT

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Acting Chief of the Danish Defense needs more time for Huitfeldt report

The Acting Chief of the Danish Defense, Michael Hyldgaard, has asked for more time to prepare and "quality-ensure" the report on the 'Iver Huintfeldt's deployment in the Red Sea and on the problems that emerged during combat. The statement has therefore been postponed. "It is absolutely crucial that we can professionally vouch for the product we have to send to the department. We need to coordinate with the Naval Command and the Ministry of Defence's Material and Procurement Agency to check and verify a number of information. That is why we have asked for the deadline to be postponed", accodring to Michael Hyldgaard. The case of the frigate Iver Huitfeldt's problems during combat in the Red Sea came to light last week, when the defense media Olfi was able to publish information about system failure and defective ammunition during a Houthi drone attack on March 9. It was also completely new information for Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, who asked for an explanation of the case on April 9. The statement was leaked on Feb 10, which cited the statement that the Ministry of Defense had been informed of the technical faults on the ship, although Troels Lund Poulsen denied knowledge of the matter. A few hours later on the same day, the Minister of Defense received a new statement with a new explanation. The Minister stated at a press conference. Here he then announced that the Chief of Defense Flemming Lentfer was removed from his job. At the same time, he asked for a thorough explanation of the case, which has now been postponed indefinitely. “I take the matter very seriously. It is absolutely crucial that both I, as the responsible minister, and the parties in the Folketing are continuously informed of possible serious problems when we deploy Danish soldiers. The Defense Command has asked for more time to ensure the quality of the report. I have informed the parties of the Folketing about this today", said Troels Lund Poulsen on April 11.

Frigate used both missiles and cannons to shoot down four drones

The 'Iver Huitfeldt' used both missiles and cannons to shoot down four drones that on March 9 were heading for the frigate and a number of civilian ships in the Red Sea. The ship's commander emphasized that the frigate was at no time defenseless. According to new information that emerged when the press met the crew in Korsør on the afternoon of April 4, crews shot down the first three drones using Sea Sparrow missiles guided to the target by the frigate's Swedish-made Ceros 2000 weapons control system. The system has two radar positions on the frigate, one above the two long-range guns on the foredeck, and one on the roof of the hangar above the ship's close-in defense gun. Why the crew used the Ceros 2000 weapons control system, which has a shorter range than the frigate's central and far more expensive Apar weapons control system, there was so far no explanation, but it can be about the distance to the goals. To combat the fourth and final drone, the crew chose to switch to the Apar weapon control system. However, this system did not work, so the crew switched back to the Ceros 2000 system. At the same time, the weapon type was changed from missiles to the ship's long-range main guns, which, with the help of several grenades, 10-50 percent of which exploded too quickly, shot down the drone. Why they chose to change the weapon type from the successful missiles to the ship's long-range main guns, there was so far no explanation., but it can be about the distance to the target. There was still uncertainty about the sequence of events and which systems and weapon systems were used, when and why. During the coming week, a third and more thorough account of the incident is expected to be ready. However, just like the previous statements, it will be confidential.

Defense Chief dismissed after system failure on frigate

On April 3, the Dankish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen dismissed its the Defense Chief Flemming Lentfer as a consequence of the problems with the 'Iver Huitfeldt's system failure and defective ammunition. The matter of the frigate's failing systems became publich on April 2 and led to Troels Lund Poulsen asking the defense chief for a quick statement on the matter. He received it on the morning of April 3 from the Defense Command - but parts of the statement were leaked to TV 2 before the minister had even explained the case to the rapporteurs in the defense conciliation circle. In this statement, the Defense Command acquits itself and stated that the Ministry of Defense's department was informed of the case. But the minister was not, he stressed both on April 2 and at the press conference on Aprl 3. But quite surprisingly and quite unseen, the minister receives a new report on the same matter on April 3 from the same sender - the Defense Command. But now the content had changed. The first statement should have contained information that the ministry's department was briefed on the problems with the weapons system on the frigate on March 15, and that this information was to be elaborated on at a meeting between the ministry and the defense command on March 18. The new statement has been changed, but the minister did not say at the press conference exactly which information has been changed. “I'm not trying to hide anything. There have been different perceptions of what was disclosed at a meeting on 18 March," he stated at the press conference, where the minister stated that Major General Michael Hyldgaard has been appointed acting chief of defence. At the press conference, the minister also said that no correct information has been given about the costs of the controversial arms purchase from the Israeli manufacturer Elbit. Potentially, the budget could be exceeded by over a billion Danish crowns. The 'Iver Huitfeldt' returned to Denmark on April 3 morning after a 2-month long mission in the Red Sea, where the task was to protect shipping against attacks by the Houthi movement, a task the frigate had difficulty solving, as it turned out that the ship's central radar system is unstable, and the ammunition for the main guns consists of 30-year-old shells. These were conditions that Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen was not aware of.