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.

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.

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

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

Bottom 9% of warships

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

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

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

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 5% 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.

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.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 2

Stronger than 28% 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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