The government has announced investments of over 50 billion Swedish kronor in the past year to strengthen and expand the Swedish air defence. According to the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten), the expansion includes a new territorial air defence system to protect society and infrastructure, as well as equipment purchases amounting to tens of billions of kronor for the army and navy.
– It is extremely positive that investments are being made in air defence. The war in Ukraine has highlighted the necessity of being able to defend against threats from the air, especially when the enemy does not adhere to the laws of war and largely targets civilian objectives, says Army Chief Jonny Lindfors.
According to the Swedish Armed Forces, this investment is the largest since the Second World War, and the amount corresponds to approximately the entire Swedish defence budget for 2018. A central part of the mission is to gradually establish a territorial air defence. This will consist of short-range systems distributed across many geographical locations, intended to complement other air defence systems.
In parallel, a rebuild of the brigade air defence is underway. By 2028, two brigades are to be completed, and by 2030, an additional two brigades and a combat group will be added. Equipment worth approximately 22 billion kronor was ordered last year, which the Swedish Armed Forces states includes the systems IRIS-T SLM, IRIS-T SLS, and Robotsystem 70 NG. Some of these contracts have been signed through the European cooperation initiative European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI).
By 2025, the air defence battalions at the Air Defence Regiment (Lv 6) will achieve full operational capability with the Air Defence System 103 Patriot, and resources have been allocated for additional ammunition. This spring, deliveries of the soldier-portable Polish Air Defence System 102 Piorun to the ranger units, which were ordered in the autumn of 2025, will also begin.
The expansion encompasses several branches of defence. The navy's Visby-class corvettes and the future vessels in the Luleå-class will be equipped with air defence. As part of the air defence, the capability to combat drones is also being developed, for example through the army's Operation Gute, which introduced a counter-drone concept in 2025, according to the press release.
– Overall, this is a very extensive investment aimed at strengthening Sweden's ability to protect itself against hostile air threats such as airborne weapons, aircraft, helicopters, and drones, says Air Force Chief Jonas Wikman.
To meet the rapid growth, high demands are placed on the training of personnel. According to Jan Ohlson, head of the Air Defence Regiment, conscription training in air defence is already being conducted today at I 19 in Boden (northern Sweden). He states that future training of air defence personnel will be spread to even more locations to cover the growing need.