New squadron in the Danish Air Force to house long-range drones
Today, 729 Squadron is established in the Danish Air Force. The squadron will be home to the four remotely piloted, long-range aircraft that the Danish Defence recently signed an agreement to purchase. They will be used to monitor Danish interests in, among other places, the Arctic, the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea.
February 16, 2026 - 16:00
Mock up photo of the new long-range aircraft that will be used to monitor Danish interests in the Arctic, the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea from year 2028.
By Danish Defence Command
The new 729 squadron will be part of Air Transport Wing and will physically be based at Aalborg Air Base.
The squadron and the new aircraft, with the designation MQ-9B Sea Guardian, is a part of the Danish Defence’ ongoing build up. It is Denmark’s ambition to expand the monitoring and surveillance in the Arctic and Greenland and 729 Squadron and the new long-range aircraft will contribute to that ambition.
The new capacity can also be deployed to support environmental monitoring and search and rescue operations.
Reuse of name
The Danish Defence has earlier had a 729 Squadron – from 1955-1993. It was a photo reconnaissance unit in the Danish Air Force, which among other things played an important reconnaissance role during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The new Squadron 729 will also contribute with photo reconnaissance, but the capacity will also be equipped with a number of other new modern sensors to support the surveillance and intelligence task.
The establishment of the new Squadron 729 is celebrated today Monday February 16th with a ceremony at Aalborg Air Base. The aircraft will be delivered to Denmark from 2028.