The Swedish government has announced a sweeping new initiative to expand the country’s national air defense capabilities, directing the Swedish Armed Forces to generate, train, and equip multiple units specifically for “territorial air defense.” The SEK 15 billion ($1.6 billion) program is designed to strengthen protection for wartime formations and national mobilization, while extending coverage to cities and critical civilian infrastructure such as bridges, rail hubs, and energy facilities.
Unveiled at the Folk och Försvar security conference, the announcement reflects lessons drawn from the ongoing war in Ukraine, where air and missile threats have been used not only against military targets but also to disrupt society by striking energy networks, transport systems, and other essential services. Defense Minister Pål Jonson emphasized that Sweden intends to rapidly develop a resilient air defense posture to counter similar threats.
“Ukraine demonstrates the necessity of a robust and flexible air defense,” Jonson said. “Our goal is to protect both military units and critical infrastructure from a broad spectrum of aerial threats, including drones and cruise missiles.”
The territorial air defense program is expected to move quickly into procurement, with an initial consolidated order to Swedish defense industry planned for the first quarter of 2026, followed by phased acquisitions in subsequent years. According to government sources, speed of implementation is a key requirement, reflecting the urgency of closing gaps in short-range air and missile defense.
Stockholm’s framework envisions the territorial air defense concept as primarily short-range and organized into multiple independent company-sized units. These units will rely on relatively simple, modular systems, allowing different radars, weapons, and technical subsystems to be combined depending on operational needs. Both gun-based air defense systems and a range of radar solutions are being considered, with units potentially assigned to fixed geographic areas or deployed flexibly as needed. Critical civilian infrastructure, including hydroelectric plants, nuclear facilities, and major cities, are highlighted as primary protection priorities.
The initiative complements Sweden’s ongoing air defense modernization, which has seen investments totaling nearly SEK 40 billion in recent years. These previous efforts include medium- and short-range air defense systems for maneuver brigades, new man-portable short-range systems, expanded Patriot missile stocks, and counter-drone capabilities featuring electronic warfare solutions. Naval modernization efforts, including equipping Visby-class corvettes and future Luleå-class surface combatants with organic air defense systems, are also part of a broader, integrated national defense strategy.
Although the government has not formally announced the specific systems to be deployed for the territorial air defense units, current Swedish capabilities provide a strong indication of likely components. Saab’s Giraffe 1X radar, for example, is a compact, lightweight 3D multi-mission system capable of detecting drones, providing sense-and-warn functions against rockets, artillery, and mortars (C-RAM), and delivering engagement-quality data. The radar can be mounted on vehicles, trailers, or even helicopters, offering both mobility and flexibility.
For very short-range engagement, Saab’s RBS 70 NG is a leading candidate. Using laser beam-riding guidance with an integrated thermal imager, the system is capable of day-and-night operations against low-flying threats. The RBS 70 NG has an effective range exceeding 9 kilometers and can engage targets up to 5 kilometers in altitude, making it suitable for point defense of critical sites.
Saab has also been contracted to provide the necessary command-and-control backbone to support dispersed short-range defenses. A SEK 2.1 billion contract awarded in November 2025 by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) covers sensors, command-and-control systems, weapon integration, studies, and spare parts for a brigade-level ground-based air defense solution. Deliveries are planned for 2027–2028, creating a mobile, highly networked short-range air defense layer.
The territorial air defense initiative fits within a broader, multi-tiered Swedish air defense network. At longer ranges, Sweden is investing in systems such as the IRIS-T SLM. Under a June 2025 FMV contract with Diehl Defence, seven fire units of the IRIS-T SLM are being procured under the European Sky Shield Initiative framework. Each unit comprises a missile launcher, radar, tactical operations center, and supporting logistics vehicles. The IRIS-T SLM is capable of countering aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones at ranges up to 40 kilometers and altitudes up to 20 kilometers.
Naval air defense is also being reinforced to extend coverage beyond military installations. Saab received a SEK 1.6 billion contract in May 2025 to equip the Swedish Navy’s Visby-class corvettes with MBDA’s Sea Ceptor system. Installation work is set to begin in early 2026, integrating naval platforms into the national air defense network and ensuring a cohesive response across land, sea, and air domains.
The Swedish government’s announcement explicitly frames the territorial air defense initiative as a response to modern warfare lessons. The conflict in Ukraine has highlighted that aerial threats do not only target military formations but can also directly degrade societal resilience. In particular, attacks on power plants, transport networks, and urban centers have demonstrated the strategic value of protecting civilian infrastructure alongside military forces.
To address these challenges, Sweden’s Civil Defense Agency (Myndigheten för civilt försvar, MCF, formerly MSB) and the Armed Forces have been tasked with producing a joint assessment of current protection levels and future requirements. The report, due by February 16, 2026, will analyze both active defense measures, such as intercepting missiles and drones, and passive measures including redundancy, shelters, concealment, and repair preparedness. This work is intended to guide future decisions on balancing civil and military defense investments in an increasingly contested air environment.
Jonson stressed that the initiative represents a shift toward more resilient and distributed defense systems. “We are moving away from relying solely on large, centralized assets,” he said. “The new units will be able to operate independently, respond rapidly, and protect the essential structures that sustain Swedish society during conflict.”
At approximately SEK 15 billion, the territorial air defense initiative is one of the largest single air defense programs announced in Sweden in recent years. It sits alongside earlier investments totaling nearly SEK 40 billion, which together form a coherent strategy spanning short-, medium-, and long-range defense, mobility, and networked command-and-control capabilities.
The government has emphasized that industrial readiness and procurement speed are critical to the program’s success. By consolidating initial orders in the first quarter of 2026, Stockholm aims to rapidly field new units, while follow-on phases will expand and refine the capability. The modular design of the systems is intended to simplify training, maintenance, and integration, ensuring that the units can adapt to evolving threats.
Sweden’s territorial air defense program signals a broader trend in European defense thinking: the recognition that cities and civilian infrastructure are increasingly frontline targets in modern conflicts. By investing in distributed, modular, and rapidly deployable air defense units, Stockholm aims to create a resilient, multi-layered system capable of countering drones, cruise missiles, and other aerial threats.
The joint civil-military assessment to be delivered in February 2026 will likely inform additional policy and procurement decisions, potentially including the expansion of short-range units, reinforcement of passive civil defense measures, and integration of advanced sensor networks. As Sweden moves forward, the initiative is expected to serve as a benchmark for other nations seeking to combine traditional military defense with civil protection in an era of high-intensity, multi-domain warfare.
