What extremely interesting weapons Sweden can produce for Ukraine
When it comes to one of Europe's largest defense industries
Sweden is one of the most powerful weapons manufacturers in Europe: NLAW ATGM, CV90 BMP, Gripen fighter, Archer self-propelled guns – these are all Swedish developments
Sweden does not rule out the possibility of starting the production of weapons for Ukraine, stated the Minister of Defense of the country, Peter Gulqvist, following the results of the security conference in Copenhagen, in which more than 20 countries took part. At it, 1.5 billion euros were collected for military aid to Ukraine, and agreements were reached on the expansion of defense aid in key areas.
According to the head of the Swedish Ministry of Defense, who was interviewed by SVT, the production of Swedish weapons is not excluded, although it is too early to talk about it right now. But Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have already announced that they are ready to help with the production of weapons.
‘We are talking about the use of production lines in different countries for the production of weapons that can be directly supplied to Ukraine,’ said Peter Hultqvist. A fund will also be created, where countries will be able to contribute funds for the production of weapons in Ukraine.
Thus, it is possible to get too far ahead, but it is quite possible to talk about the fact that the Swedish armed forces will begin to strengthen the armed forces even more actively. And it is necessary to remind that Ukraine already operates a sufficiently large number of such weapons. In particular, such anti-tank systems as NLAW and Carl Gustaf were developed specifically in Sweden.
And this is not surprising because Sweden is actually one of the most powerful gunsmiths in Europe. This is due to the fact that since the beginning of the Cold War, the country independently solved security issues and actually independently armed itself, creating extremely interesting models.
BMP CV90
For example, the Swedish infantry vehicle Strf 90, which was developed by Hägglunds from Bofors and is a real bestseller in the armored vehicle market. It is better known under the name CV90 and is in service in six other countries besides Sweden, and what is most interesting is that it was recently chosen to rearm their armies by the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In addition, an extremely important point. Hägglunds and Bofors are now part of British arms giant BAE Systems. Given the position of London, the hypothetical possibility of supplying CV90 to Ukraine will receive the ‘green light’ with the greatest probability. Moreover, the Czech Republic, in accordance with the terms of the contract, received a wide localization of production, which allows ‘to expand’ narrow production of this machine.
We will remind that the CV90 in the latest Mk IV version is a powerful BMP that weighs 37 tons of anti-missile armor, can be equipped with Western automatic guns of any taste from 25 mm to 45 mm, as well as anti-aircraft guns (the base is the Israeli Spike-LR , but it can be replaced).
The CV90 Mk IV is equipped with a 1,000-horsepower diesel engine, has a maximum speed of up to 70 km/h and is designed for 7-8 paratroopers and three crew members. Of course, this BMP has a digital architecture to integrate modern digital equipment and sensors, including support for augmented reality.
JAS 39 Gripen
Another well-known Swedish model of weapons is the 4+ generation JAS 39 Gripen fighter from Saab, which has already been wooed to Ukraine many times. Able to solve a whole range of air defense tasks and the task of high-precision strikes on ground targets, with high performance characteristics and a low cost per flight hour, the Gripen was seen as one of the main candidates for strengthening the Air Force of Ukraine, as early as 2020.
Of course, the question of which is better for Ukraine, the JAS 39 Gripen or the F-16, is more than debatable. But in any case, any Western 4+ generation aircraft is better than the Soviet MiG-29 or Su-27, which are now the basis of the air component of the Armed Forces.
And a fascinating addition to any 4+ generation aircraft can be the GlobalEye long-range radar surveillance aircraft with a sensor system, again from Saab.
Archer and Mjolnir
Another example of weapons that is a real icon in the field of artillery systems is the Archer self-propelled guns from Bofors (BAE Systems).
This self-propelled gun with a 155-mm gun with a barrel length of 52 calibers has automation and digitization of all systems at the highest level. The only time a crew of only three people touches shells is during loading. Further, the calculation only goes to the necessary area and decides which target to destroy. The automatic loader provides firing of the entire ammunition in 21 shells in 3.5 minutes.
And in general, the entire cycle from moving into a combat position, a series of three shots and leaving the position takes a little more than one minute.
But it should be noted that despite the extremely interesting characteristics, perhaps due to the revolutionary approach, as well as the impossibility of firing ‘from the ground’, there are very few customers for this self-propelled gun. Even Norway, which initially participated in the Archer development, withdrew from the project, and ended up buying Korean K9s.
The automatic double-barreled self-propelled mortar Gkpbv 90 Mjolnir, which is already mass-produced for the Swedish army, may also be of significant interest to the Armed Forces. This machine also has an extremely high degree of automation and rapid fire.
Of course, the main issue is time. It is possible to talk about the supply of Swedish weapons to Ukraine within the time limits of the second half of the 2020s, but the question lies in the fastest strengthening of the Armed Forces. That is why this review, for example, does not include the potential of the Swedish naval forces.
In view of this, as well as in view of the issue of meeting the needs of the Armed Forces in modern armored vehicles, it is possible to consider the delivery of the CV90 BMP and the vehicle based on it as extremely important. Taking into account the rearmament of the nearest neighbors on the CV90, its high characteristics, as well as the possibility of further localization of production. This option, most likely, is one of the key ones.
