COPENHAGEN, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Denmark's defence

minister said on Tuesday the country's military may buy a fleet

of Boeing P-8 submarine-hunting maritime patrol aircraft

to help boost the surveillance of the Faroe Islands and

Greenland.

Denmark could potentially spend an amount corresponding to

billions of dollars on an acquisition, Troels Lund Poulsen said,

part of the Nordic nation's plan to sharply boost its military

hardware.

"I would prefer that we collaborate with other NATO

countries in order to get the most value for our money and to

have a greater degree of flexibility," Poulsen said in a

statement to Reuters.

"But if that proves impossible, then I am also willing to

accept that we will have to acquire this P-8 aircraft capacity

ourselves," he said.

Danish broadcaster TV2 first reported the news late on

Monday.

The defence ministry declined to comment on Tuesday on the

exact sum it may spend or how many aircraft it could buy. Any

acquisition must first be approved by parliament.

Poulsen said the threat level in the Arctic was increasing

and that it was necessary to get a better picture of movements

around Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both semi-autonomous

Danish territories.

Russian and Chinese state vessels have appeared unexpectedly

around Greenland in the past and U.S. President Donald Trump has

accused Denmark of failing to keep the island safe from

potential incursions. Both Russia and China have in the past

denied any such plans.