Sweden Orders SEK 2.6 Billion Saab Counter-Drone System as Nordic Air Defence Modernises

Image: Saab

Sweden has contracted Saab to deliver an advanced mobile counter-unmanned aerial system worth SEK 2.6 billion, as the country moves to harden its defences against the growing drone threat.

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) placed the order for the modular counter-UAS platform, which will protect both Swedish Armed Forces assets and civilian infrastructure. Deliveries are scheduled to run from 2027 to 2028.

Saab developed the system in partnership with the FMV and the Swedish Armed Forces. The platform is designed to detect, track, and neutralise small- to medium-sized low-flying drones, a category of threat that has dominated recent conflict zones and prompted urgent procurement across European militaries.

Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s Surveillance business area, said: “This technology enhances airspace security by detecting, tracking, and mitigating unmanned aerial threats, and can be easily integrated with other systems.”

The system is built on a modular, mobile architecture that draws on field-proven Saab sensors and effectors, alongside selected third-party technologies, fused into a single interoperable solution. It connects directly with Sweden’s existing air defence assets, strengthening and complementing current capability rather than replacing it. Built from established components, the platform is fully operational and ready for deployment.

Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, and the procurement aligns with the alliance’s broader push to shore up air and drone defences along its northern flank. The country’s Baltic Sea geography and proximity to ongoing regional tensions have sharpened the urgency of the investment.

The counter-UAS platform offers what Saab describes as a layered defence, a scalable, cost-efficient response to modern drone threats that can be rapidly redeployed across both military and civilian environments.

With deliveries beginning in 2027, the Swedish Armed Forces will field a deployable, adaptable drone defence capability at a time when unmanned aerial threats have moved from emerging concern to frontline reality for militaries across the continent.

Further details on the order are available via Saab’s website

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