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Warship

Denmark

Odense Steel Shipyard

Absalon-class

A Danish flexible support and command ship combining a large vehicle/cargo deck for troops, vehicles or containers with a full air-defense and anti-surface missile fit, using the modular StanFlex mission-payload system. It can switch roles between mine-laying, hospital ship, command platform and combatant within hours.

In service since 2004 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

6,300

9,300

nmi

VLS

100

crew

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

National export licensing

Subject to Denmark export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2004. Status: active · ~2 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

Mk 41 VLS-class

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the Absalon-class can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

RIM-162 ESSM Harpoon anti-ship missile

Stinger surface-to-air missile

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.	1x 127 mm Mk 45 naval gun
VLS cells Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship, a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.	12 Stronger than 11% of warships

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	137.6 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Naval specifications
Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes, the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.	6,300 t
Full-load displacement Displacement fully loaded with fuel, stores and munitions.	6,300 t
Max speed Top speed in knots (surfaced, for submarines). Higher aids positioning and screening.	24 kn Stronger than 12% of warships
Range Cruising range in nautical miles. Nuclear vessels are effectively unlimited (fuel-wise). Higher means more reach without replenishment.	9,300 nmi Top 6% of warships
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.	100
Propulsion plant Machinery type, nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.	CODAD: 2x MAN diesel engines

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors & avionics specifications
Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.	Thales SMART-S Mk2

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.	2 Stronger than 30% of warships
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.	1 Stronger than 45% of warships

Specifications compiled from public Odense Steel Shipyard and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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