Danish navy missile could launch ANY MINUTE due to technical error: Air space is closed and shipping is warned of potential accidental strike

A Danish navy missile could launch any minute due to a technical error, forcing the country to close an area of air space and warn ships of a potential accidental strike. 

Denmark's armed forces said the technical problem arose on a Harpoon missile on the frigate HDMS Niels Juel during testing at anchor in the Korsoer naval base, west of the capital Copenhagen.

'The launch vehicle, the booster, is activated, and currently cannot be disabled,' the military said in a statement.

The military said the missile is live, but only the booster is activated and there is no danger of the missile exploding or reaching farther than the booster rocket can lift it.

However, an unintentional launch could send fragments falling into Danish waters, posing a dangerous risk to other vehicles in the region.

Denmark's armed forces said the technical problem arose on a Harpoon missile on the frigate HDMS Niels Juel (pictured on Thursday) during testing at anchor in the Korsoer naval base

It says: 'Until the booster is disabled, there is a risk that the missile could launch and fly several kilometres away.'

On its web page, the Danish Maritime Authority said there was a military drill taking place in the Storebaelt strait between the islands of Zeeland and Funen. 

The Great Belt shipping lane which separates the two islands and air traffic over it were closed between mid-afternoon and 8:00pm (1800 GMT).

The strait is a busy shipping lane connecting the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.

The danger area is estimated to be up to 4.3 miles from Korsoer at a height of approximately 0.62 miles above sea level and not in the direction of the bridge and tunnel link across the Storebaelt. 

The link operator said there was no risk to the road and train traffic on the bridge.

Ships in the area have been notified and asked to wait for the problem to be resolved, the armed forces said, adding that the airspace also had been closed. 

The incident happened a day after Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen sacked Chief of Defence Flemming Lentfer after having 'lost confidence' in him.

This came after another Danish frigate - this time deployed to the Red Sea as part of a U.S.-led operation - suffered malfunctioning of its weapon systems when attacked by drones operated by Houthi militants last month.

The malfunction came to light on Thursday as the ship arrived in Denmark.

The failure, which until Thursday had only been reported by local defence media Olfi citing a confidential report by the ship's captain, prompted the government to dismiss Flemming Lentfer on Wednesday.

Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the dismissal was a result of a breach of trust, after Lentfer failed to inform the ministry in detail about the incident on March 9 when the frigate Iver Huitfeldt was attacked by Houthi militants.

A founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Denmark scaled back its military capabilities after the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s.

The Nordic country has announced a major boost in military spending to achieve a NATO target of 2% of gross domestic product, from 1.4% last year, in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

An unintentional missile launch could send fragments falling into Danish waters, posing a dangerous risk to other vehicles in the region

Thursday's incident is not the first time Denmark has seen a faulty missile cause chaos.

In 1982, a missile was accidentally misfired from a Danish frigate during a drill and travelled 21 miles at low altitude, before exploding.

The fireball and subsequent shock wave destroyed four unoccupied summer cottages and caused minor damage to a further 130 buildings in the area.

There were no injuries.