Sweden Announces SEK 8.7 Billion GUTE II Counter-Drone Air Defence Package; Saab Giraffe 1X + Trackfire 30mm; BAE Bofors Tridon Mk2 40mm
Stockholm, 2 April 2026
Key points
- Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson on 2 April announced a SEK 8.7 billion (~$828 million) air defence procurement package under the GUTE II programme designation — covering contracts with Saab (SEK 2.6 billion), BAE Systems Bofors, Nammo and SISU
- Saab contribution: Giraffe 1X tactical surveillance radar, Trackfire weapon station with 30mm cannon, electronic warfare components; BAE Bofors contribution: Tridon Mk2 40mm cannon system on truck platform; Nammo supplies ammunition; SISU supplies vehicles including the Terrängbil 24
- Deliveries running 2027–2028; modular mobile design enabling vehicle-mounted or stationary configurations; protects military formations and critical civilian infrastructure (power plants, railway hubs, populated areas) under unified military command authority
Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson on 2 April announced a SEK 8.7 billion (~$828 million) air defence procurement package under the GUTE II programme — grouping contracts with Saab, BAE Systems Bofors, Nammo and SISU, with Saab's share alone at SEK 2.6 billion — designed as a modular mobile counter-UAS architecture protecting both military formations and critical civilian infrastructure under unified military command authority.
Saab's GUTE II contribution combines the Giraffe 1X tactical surveillance radar, the Trackfire weapon station with 30mm cannon, and advanced electronic warfare components. BAE Systems Bofors supplies the Tridon Mk2, a 40mm cannon system mounted on a truck platform. Nammo provides ammunition; SISU provides the vehicle layer including the Terrängbil 24 light utility vehicle. Jonson stated the architecture has been "tested on the battlefield in Ukraine" against Shahed-type drones.
Saab's SEK 2.6 billion (~$247 million) order includes options to scale further over the programme cycle; deliveries for the full GUTE II package run from 2027 through 2028. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) executes the contract; the programme is run under Army Chief Jonny Lindfors's command line.
GUTE II resolves the contested counter-UAS mandate the German procurement debate has split over — civilian infrastructure protection (nuclear plants, railway hubs, airports) is preserved as an explicit design requirement, while command authority remains unified under the Swedish armed forces. The structural reading is that Sweden has compressed the civilian-military C-UAS ownership question into a single procurement architecture, avoiding the blurred-ownership debates evident in the German governance discussion. A trajectory first surfaced in Signal No. 30.
Sources: Försvarsmakten, Försvarsmaterielverket (FMV), Saab, BAE Systems Bofors, Nammo, SISU.
First reported in Signal No. 30, 2 April 2026.