The announcements come amid the country’s Society and Defence Annual Conference in Sälen. 

Sweden is committing approximately SEK20 billion (EUR1.87 billion) to acquire new ground-based air defences, drones, and satellites, according to a series of announcements by Sweden’s Ministry of Defence (MoD). 

The commitments came following the country’s annual Society and Defence Annual Conference in Sälen, Sweden between 11-13 January – almost two years after it joined the NATO alliance. 

Regarding the funds, SEK15 billion (EUR1.4 billion) is being committed to expanding Sweden’s air defence capabilities, to protect the military as well as its population centres and civilian infrastructure.  

The new air defence capabilities will primarily: 

• Be deployable, or tied to a specific geographic area 

• Have a “short-range protection capability” 

• Be robust and modular, allowing different types of weapons, sensors, and technical systems to be combined, such as different anti-aircraft artillery and radar systems  

• Consist of a “number of standalone units, each in the size of a company” 

• Protect civilian infrastructure 

Justifying a need for more “robust and resilient” air defences, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson drew upon observations of the war in Ukraine, where air defence is a critical necessity. 

Sweden’s MoD expects to place its first order with industry using these funds in early 2026. 

Alongside air defence, Sweden plans to invest SEK4 billion (EUR370 million) to acquire a range of uncrewed systems, such as loitering munitions, reconnaissance drones, uncrewed airborne electronic warfare systems, and uncrewed naval-based systems. 

These systems will help to enable the Nordic country to bolster and continue honing its drone warfare tactics and accelerate the “operational effect” of its loitering munitions by five to six years. 

Deliveries for all these planned uncrewed materiel acquisitions will take place between 2026 and 2028.  

Meanwhile, SEK1.3 billion (EUR120 million) is being committed to acquire “around ten additional satellites” for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance purposes, having only launched its first military satellite in 2024.  

The new satellites will enhance the country’s strategic autonomy, allowing it to leverage real-time surveillance, and support NATO capabilities, according to the MoD. 

All of these announcements emerged in the context of a deteriorating international environment, with the conference in Sälen marking 80 years since the first event of its kind in Sweden.  

In his opening speech, the Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that “the risk of major conflicts is increasing, as is the risk of smaller nations being sacrificed in the process”.  

In the face of this challenge, the minister for defence drew attention to the nation’s rapid progress and investment since 2022, noting that “Sweden has become a stronger country” as a result.