StanFlex

thumb|300px|A mine countermeasures StanFlex module in storage at [[Naval Base Korsør]] StanFlex (also known as STANFLEX or Standard Flex) is a modular mission payload system used by the Royal Danish Navy. Originally conceived during the 1980s as a way of replacing several classes of minor war vessel with a single class of multi-role ships (the ), the StanFlex system consists of weapons and equipment mounted in standardised containers, which can be loaded into slots on the ships. These containers can be swapped out in a short period of time, allowing the ship to switch between roles when needed. The success of the modular payload system led the Royal Danish Navy to design all new warships with StanFlex slots, and to install slots on older vessels during major refits. By 2012, nine ship classes capable of carrying StanFlex payloads were in service.

==Development== During the early 1980s, the Royal Danish Navy (RDN) required replacements for three classes of minor war vessel, but could not afford to replace all 22 ships on a one-for-one basis. Instead of building dedicated replacements for each role, the RDN came up with the idea for a single vessel design which could be modified to assume a particular role when needed. Equipment common to all roles would be built into the ship, while mission specific payloads would be built into modules, which could be fitted into standardised slots aboard the ship when needed. This modular payload system came to be known as "Standard Flex", or "StanFlex" for short.