Denmark to fund Tridon Mk 2 battalion for Ukraine

Denmark and Sweden are co-financing the delivery of Tridon Mk 2 air defence guns to Ukraine to the tune of $144 million, enough for four battalions of the guns, but Ukraine’s air defences are showing the strain of Russia’s latest tactics. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on February 4, 2026.

BLUF: 

• Ukraine is to receive an additional battalion set of the Tridon Mk 2 air defence cannon system manufactured by BAE Systems Bofors. They will be funded by Denmark at a cost of approximately $45.45 million (£35.33 million/€42.36 million). 
• All of Ukraine’s air defence systems are stressed and stretched, but air defence cannons are likely a key part of the country’s defence and may be approaching certain limits that will require new systems. 

Denmark has decided to join Sweden and co-finance the delivery of another battalion set of the Tridon Mk 2 air defence cannons from BAE Systems Bofors, the two ministries of defence announced on February 3. 

Sweden has already initiated procurement and delivery of the system, investing around $198.86 million (£154.55 million/€185.34 million) under its 18th, 19th, and 20th aid packages to Ukraine. Denmark is adding its funds to this programme, valued at approximately $45.45 million (£35.33 million/€42.36 million).

“Continued massive military support for Ukraine is crucial to giving Ukraine the muscle to resist and continue their fight for freedom,” Danish Minister of Defence, Troels Lund Poulsen, said. Russia has maintained pressure on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the war started and routinely succeeded in knocking large chunks of the energy production system and distribution infrastructure out. Defending against these strikes, which are massive in scale, is a matter of enough systems in the right places.

• Arming Ukraine, a review of Europe’s pledges for 2025 – Calibre Defence
• Shahed and Geran: The evolution of Russia’s deep strikes – Calibre Defence 
• Rheinmetall: Up to 1,000 Skyrangers could be procured – Calibre Defence 

Danish funds will allow for the procurement of a battalion set of the Tridon Mk 2 and various upgrades, the Swedish MoD states. Neither MoD explained how many Tridons have been delivered, but using the Danish funding as a rough metric, it seems that up to four battalion sets have been funded. It would not be unreasonable to expect a battalion to include 12 gun systems, which suggests as many as 48 Tridons have been procured. Delivery of the newly funded guns will start in 12 months. 

“The TRIDON system that is being procured for donation to Ukraine is upgraded with command-and-control systems and Saab’s Giraffe 1X radar system. The systems also include spare parts and large amounts of ammunition, including advanced pre-fragmented, programmable, proximity-fused (3P) ammunition,” the Swedish MoD said.

Tech profile: Tridon Mk 2 

The Tridon Mk2 is a highly mobile, truck-mounted air defence system designed to fill the tactical gap behind more expensive surface-to-air missile batteries. Based on the battle-proven Bofors 40mm L/70 autocannon, the system is housed in a 2,300 kg modular cupola that can be integrated onto various platforms, including Scania 6×6 trucks or tracked vehicles like the BVs-10. This flexibility, combined with its ability to be operated remotely or from within a protected cabin, makes it a resilient solution for defending both frontline troops and civilian infrastructure against modern threats such as loitering munitions and cruise missiles. It was developed with targets like the Shahed or Geran one-way attack drone in mind and tested against representative systems in both live fire demonstrations and simulations.

• Cupola Weight: 2,300 kg
• Weapon System: 40 mm Bofors 40 Mk4 (L/70)
• Rate of Fire: 300 rounds per minute (adjustable)
• Engagement Ammo: 5–10 rounds (average)
• Magazine Capacity: * Primary: 30 rounds
• Secondary: 70 rounds
• Total Ready-to-Fire Rounds: 100 rounds
• Maximum Range: 12 km (up to 12.5 km depending on target)
• Elevation Range: -20° to +80°
• Ammunition Type: Bofors 3P (Pre-fragmented, Programmable, Proximity-fuzed)
• Programming Modes: 6 (including airburst, impact, and proximity)
• Radar Integration: Saab Giraffe 1X (75 km detection range. 

Calibre comment: What is the current state of Ukraine’s air defences?

Hundreds of air defence cannon systems have been supplied to Ukraine, joining its existing fleet of ZSU-23-4s and other Soviet-designed systems. They are likely to be a key part of Ukraine’s defence, especially in terms of intercepting the thousands of Shahed/Geran drones that are propelled towards Ukraine every week. The Gerans are a big problem; their warheads are quite big, not big enough to destroy a power station, but too big to leave alone. They are flown deliberately into areas thought to house missile-based air defence systems to force them to unmask. This is then used for the route planning of subsequent missile strikes. 

• Defence in brief: Ukraine’s air defence supply to triple under new MoU 
• Not a pretty picture; the UK’s air defence to improve with Sky Sabre order 

So, Ukraine has to engage the Gerans and air defence cannons are the most economical means of doing that. However, like all cannons, they must suffer from barrel wear. With thousands of interceptions likely conducted since the middle of 2024, it is reasonable to assume that many of them are now facing serviceability issues that will reduce accuracy or availability. This means that deliveries of new systems like the additional battalion of Tridon Mk 2s should make a meaningful contribution.

The lead image shows the Tridon Mk 2. Credit: BAE Systems.