Air surveillance radar deal signed

The Faroe Islands today took a big step toward increased participation in Western defence cooperation.

A ground-based air surveillance radar in the Faroes will be filling a crucial hole in the airspace defence of the Danish Kingdom and the North Atlantic region.

So said Danish defence minister Morten Bødskov this morning after signing an agreement with Faroese authorities to set up a DKK 400 million radar system in the Faroes as part of Denmark’s DKK 1.5 billion Arctic Capacity Package.

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Not many technical details were revealed at the press conference following this morning’s signing.

It was, however, noted that the radar station will be unmanned.

Radari á Sornfelli

Caption: 

The plan is for the new radar to be set up on Streymoy's mount Sornfelli, replacing the old Cold War radar system

All radar footage will be processed in Denmark, but Faroese authorities will have full access to all the data.

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Faroese foreign minister Jenis av Rana said he is delighted to sign this agreement.

“This will increase our security and it will bring us closer to the Western alliance,” he said.

It should be noted that the deal signed today is a so-called memorandum of understanding, which is a non-legally binding indication of an intended common line of action. Read the agreement here (in Faroese only)

Read the Faroese versions of this article here.

More Faroese News in English.