The Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) has decided to award Saab a framework agreement for the delivery and service of additional BT46 I-LDS, instrumented laser duel simulation systems. The estimated value is SEK 3.75 billion, with a maximum value of SEK 4.75 billion. This is stated in a direct award notice published by DALO on 5 November.
The systems are used for realistic combat training for both combat vehicles and soldiers. According to the notice, the agreement is to run from 17 November 2026 to 17 January 2037, with the option of a five-year extension. The notice does not specify how many systems are to be purchased.
DALO justifies the direct award on technical grounds and the protection of exclusive rights. According to the agency, it is an unconditional operational requirement that the new systems be fully compatible with the Danish Defence's existing BT46 systems and able to make use of all their functions.
DALO states that the agency has followed the work of NATO's UCATT programme, which is developing common technical standards for this type of system. However, the standards are not yet complete and, according to DALO, would in any case not cover all internal interfaces within the BT46 system. Replacing the entire existing system would also entail very significant conversion costs, according to the agency.
The Danish Ministry of Defence announced in March 2025 that an I-LDS system would be procured for a combat battalion of around 1,000 soldiers and 200 vehicles, according to a press release. The cost was estimated at the time at around DKK 0.6 billion. In July 2025, DALO announced that the agency had procured the Saab BT46 I-LDS for the army.
"With I-LDS, the army doesn't just gain increased realism, we gain an entirely new dimension of feedback, learning and analysis," said Colonel Thomas Øgendahl Knudsen, head of DALO's Land Materiel Division, at the time.
The Danish Army field-tested the system in Oksbøl (western Denmark) earlier this year, as NDS has reported. Saab and DALO already signed a framework agreement in 2022 for live training systems for the Danish Army, with a potential value of around DKK 550 million.