Hjemmeværnet, the Danish Home Guard, commissioned two new search and surveillance plane into service. The two Twin Otters, produced by De Havilland Canada, are replacing two leased Britten-Norman Defender aircraft.
The Twin Otters have been especially equipped for patrol duties, with an electro-optical sensor package, including thermic cameras, to enable search operations even at night. The standard crew consists of two pilots and one system operator, but can be augmented by up to eight others.
More than a thousand Twin Otters built
Since its introduction in 1965, more than a thousand Twin Otters have been built. It can stay airborne for up to more than 6 hours and has an operational range of 800 to 1,200 kilometres (497 to 754 miles) depending on the payload and mission profile.
Home Guard composed of volunteers
The Britten-Norman Defenders that are now being replaced accumulated 6,800 flight hours in their eight years of service with the Danish Air Force Home Guard, according to the Hjemmeværnet’s own data. The Danish Home Guard is composed of volunteers, but does support operational missions abroad as well for e.g. Frontex – the border management organisation of the European Union. | © 2025 Marcel Burger, nordicreporter.com. Press photo by Jonas Vandall/Hjemmeværnet
For the news in Danish and a guided video tour by one of the Twin Otter’s volunteer pilots, check out the Hjemmeværnet’s website