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Sweden Approves $1.6B Territorial Air Defense Program to Protect Cities and Infrastructure.
On January 11, 2026, Sweden directed the Swedish Armed Forces to rapidly stand up a new territorial short-range air defense capability valued at roughly SEK 15 billion. The effort signals a shift toward broader homeland protection, extending air defense coverage beyond fielded forces to cities, critical infrastructure, and national mobilization nodes.
On January 11, 2026, the Swedish government announced a new initiative to expand national air defense by directing the Swedish Armed Forces to generate, train, and equip multiple units for a future “territorial air defense” capability. The effort is intended to strengthen protection for wartime formations and national mobilization while extending coverage to cities and critical civilian infrastructure. Valued at approximately SEK 15 billion (about $1.6 billion at current exchange rates), the program is expected to move quickly into procurement, with an initial consolidated order to industry planned for the first quarter of 2026 and follow-on acquisitions to be executed in subsequent phases. The government has underlined that speed of implementation is a key requirement, reflecting the perceived urgency of closing existing gaps in short-range air and missile defense.
The Swedish government has launched a SEK 15 billion initiative to rapidly build a territorial short-range air defense capability, aiming to protect cities, critical infrastructure, and mobilization forces against modern aerial threats, drawing directly on lessons from the war in Ukraine (Picture Source: SAAB / Dhiel Defense / MBDA)
The decision is explicitly framed as a lesson drawn from the war in Ukraine, where air and missile threats have been employed not only against military objectives but also to degrade societal resilience through strikes on energy networks, transport infrastructure, and other essential services. Reuters reported the announcement from the Folk och Försvar security conference, quoting Defense Minister Pål Jonson as emphasizing that Ukraine’s experience demonstrates the necessity of a robust and resilient air defense posture. According to Jonson, Sweden intends to invest specifically in short-range air defense systems capable of protecting cities, bridges, power plants, and other critical infrastructure from a broad spectrum of aerial threats, including drones and cruise missiles.
Stockholm’s own description of the initiative provides additional insight into how the new capability is expected to be structured. The territorial air defense concept is described as primarily short-range and organized into multiple independent company-sized units. These units are to rely on comparatively simple and modular systems designed for flexibility, allowing different weapons, radars, and technical subsystems to be combined as required. The government explicitly mentions both gun-based air defense solutions and a variety of radar options as potential components. The units may be either mobile or assigned to defined geographic areas, with bridges, rail hubs, nuclear and hydroelectric power plants, and cities cited as representative examples of civilian objects to be protected.
The SEK 15 billion plan is also placed in the context of earlier Swedish air defense decisions totaling nearly SEK 40 billion. These previous investments include new medium- and short-range air defense systems for maneuver brigades, a new man-portable short-range capability, additional Patriot ammunition stocks, and counter-drone capabilities incorporating electronic warfare. The government further notes that the Swedish Navy’s Visby-class corvettes and the future Luleå-class surface combatants are to be equipped with organic air defense systems, while substantial resources have been allocated to radar networks intended to improve early detection and situational awareness across Swedish territory.
Although Stockholm has not identified the specific system that will equip the new territorial air defense units, existing Swedish procurements and in-service solutions provide a clear indication of the types of components likely to be involved in a distributed protection architecture. On the sensor side, Saab describes its Giraffe 1X as a compact, lightweight 3D multi-mission radar that covers the entire search volume every second, delivers engagement-quality target data, and supports drone detection as well as C-RAM sense-and-warn functions within a single system. According to Saab, the radar weighs less than 150 kg in total, with a 100 kg topside weight, and can be deployed as a mobile, deployable, or fixed asset, including installation on pickup-sized vehicles, helicopters, or trailers.
For very short-range engagement, Saab presents the RBS 70 NG as relying on unjammable laser beam riding guidance combined with an automatic target tracker. The system incorporates an integrated thermal imager and operator support features intended to enable effective day-and-night operations. Saab states that the RBS 70 NG offers an effective range of more than 9,000 meters and altitude coverage from ground level up to 5,000 meters, making it suitable for point defense of sensitive sites against low-flying threats.
Sweden has simultaneously been investing in the command-and-control and sensor backbone required to make dispersed short-range air defenses effective at scale. In a November 25, 2025 press release, Saab announced that it had received an order from Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration, FMV, worth approximately SEK 2.1 billion. The contract covers sensors and command-and-control systems for a brigade-level ground-based air defense solution, including the LSS Lv command-and-control system and the Giraffe 1X radar, as well as weapon system integration, studies, and spare parts. Saab indicated that deliveries are planned for 2027 to 2028 and characterized the resulting capability as a highly mobile short-range ground-based air defense system.
In parallel, Sweden has committed publicly to additional layers within its broader, multi-tiered air defense architecture. Diehl Defence stated on June 25, 2025 that FMV will procure seven fire units of the IRIS-T SLM ground-based air defense system under the European Sky Shield Initiative framework. Diehl describes IRIS-T SLM as capable of countering aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones at ranges of up to 40 km and altitudes of up to 20 km, with each fire unit comprising a missile launcher, radar, and tactical operations center supported by reloading, workshop, and logistics vehicles.
Naval air defense modernization reinforces the same strategic logic of extending protection beyond traditional military installations. On May 28, 2025, Saab announced that it had been awarded a contract by FMV to equip the Swedish Navy’s five Visby-class corvettes with MBDA’s Sea Ceptor air defense system. The contract, valued at approximately SEK 1.6 billion, foresees Saab beginning modification and installation work in early 2026, further integrating naval platforms into Sweden’s overall air defense network.
The Swedish government ultimately links the territorial air defense initiative to a broader reassessment of how cities and civilian infrastructure should be protected against airborne threats in a high-intensity conflict. It notes that the Swedish Civil Defense Agency, Myndigheten för civilt försvar (MCF, formerly MSB), and the Swedish Armed Forces have been tasked with delivering a joint assessment of current protection levels and future requirements. This work is to cover both active measures, such as intercepting aerial threats, and passive measures, including shelters, concealment, redundancy, and repair preparedness. The joint report is scheduled to be delivered on February 16, 2026, and is expected to inform further decisions on how Sweden balances military and civil defense investments in an increasingly contested air environment.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.