List of equipment of the Swedish Armed Forces
Army
The Swedish army consists of 30,000 active troops along with 22,988 military reserves and 38,000 militias. Including storaged equipment still operational, the Swedish army possesses: 240 tanks, 212 tank destroyers, around 1,300 APCs, 860 IFVs, 11,300 utility vehicles, 220 mortars, and currently 4 (24 when all are delivered) 155 mm self-propelled artillery pieces. Sweden lacks conventional multiple rocket launchers, but instead relies on fast-moving vehicles equipped with guided anti-tank missiles. Long-range tactical missiles that could normally be launched from MRLs are instead assigned to the air force and navy. The Swedish military as a whole operates several hundred such missiles.
Utility vehicles: 11,308++
Armored personnel carriers: 1,267
Infantry fighting vehicles: 859
Tanks: 120 in active service (240 total including in storage)
Towed artillery pieces: 220+ (Mortars, all towed howitzers have been withdrawn from service)
Self-propelled artillery pieces: 24 In Service
Small arms and light weapons
Name | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pistol 88 | Austria | Semi-automatic pistol | Glock 17 (pist 88) Glock 19 (pist 88B) | Unknown | Current standard-issue sidearm |
CBJ-MS | Sweden | Submachine gun Personal defense weapon Assault weapon Light support weapon | - - - - | Unknown | Trials only. Not adopted. |
H&K MP5 | Germany | Submachine gun | Unknown | Unknown | Used exclusively by police. |
Ak 4 | Germany Sweden | Battle rifle | Ak 4 Ak 4B Ak 4OR | Unknown | Former standard-issue battle rifle Red dot sight; Current standard-issue for the Home Guard 4x24 telescopic sight |
Ak 5 | Sweden | Assault rifle Designated marksman rifle Assault rifle Assault rifle Carbine Police combat rifle | FFV Ak 5 FFV Ak 5B Bofors Ak 5C Bofors Ak 5CF Bofors Ak 5D CGA5P | Unknown Unknown Unknown 40,000 Unknown Unknown | Former standard-issue assault rifle 4x tritium sight Standard Issue assault rifle Multiple modifications by Bofors Lightweight carbine version, exists in two variants. Police semi-automatic version. Taken out of service. |
Ag 90 | United States | Anti-material rifle | Ag 90A Ag 90B Ag 90C | Unknown | - - - |
Psg 08 | Finland | Sniper rifle | TRG-42 | Unknown | Current standard-issue sniper rifle |
Psg 90 | United Kingdom | Sniper rifle | AW | Unknown | - |
Förstärkningsvapen 870 | United States | Shotgun | Unknown | - | |
HK21 | Germany | General-purpose machine gun | Unknown | - | |
Ksp 58 | Belgium | General-purpose machine gun | Unknown | - | |
Ksp 90 | Belgium | Light machine gun | Ksp 90 Ksp 90B | Unknown | - |
Ksp m/39 | United States | Medium machine gun | Unknown | - | |
Ksp m/42 | United States | Medium machine gun | Ksp m/42 Ksp m/42B | Unknown | Phased out of service, replaced by the Ksp m/39 |
Ksp m/94 | Germany | Armament on Leopard tanks | Unknown | - | |
Ksp 95 | Soviet Union | Armament on ex-East German Pbv401-series | Unknown | No longer used. | |
Tksp 12,7 mm | United States | Heavy machine gun | Unknown | - | |
Grsp 40 mm | United States | Automatic grenade launcher | Unknown | - | |
Granattillsats 40 mm Ak | United States | Grenade launcher | Unknown | - | |
Grg m/48 | Sweden | Multirole recoilless rifle | Unknown | Standard-issue anti-tank weapon. | |
Pskott m/86 | Sweden | Anti-tank weapon | Unknown | Standard-issue disposable anti-tank weapon | |
BILL 2 | Sweden | Anti-tank guided weapon | Unknown | - | |
RB 57 | Sweden | Anti-tank missile launcher | Unknown | - | |
RBS 55 | United States | Anti-tank guided weapon | Unknown | - | |
RBS 56 | Sweden | Anti-tank guided weapon | Unknown | - | |
RBS 70 | Sweden | Man-portable air defense system | Unknown | Being replaced by RBS 90. | |
Utility vehicles
Vehicle | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ptgb 5 | Austria Germany | 4x4 utility vehicle | Unknown | - | |
RG-32M Galten | South Africa Sweden | Mine-resistant 4x4 vehicle | 260 | Additional 120 on order | |
Terrängbil 11 | Sweden | 4x4 infantry truck 4x4 anti-tank vehicle 4x4 communications vehicle 6x6 infantry truck 6x6 communications vehicle 6x6 ambulance 6x6 artillery spotter 6x6 armored personnel carrier Man-portable air-defense systems carrier | Tgb 11 Tgb 1111 Tgb 1112 Tgb 13 Tgb 1313 Tgb 1314 Tgb 1321 Tgb 21 Tgb 22 | Roughly 6,500 | - Equipped with the Pvpj 1110 90mm recoilless gun - - - - - - Equipped with the RBS 70 |
Bv 202 | Sweden | All-terrain carrier | 5,000 produced | To be replaced by Bv 206 | |
Bv 206 | Sweden | All-terrain carrier Military ambulance Military firefighting apparatus Improved intelligence vehicle Mobile military radio transmitter | Bv 206 Bv 206A Bv 206F Bv 2064 Bv 2068 | Totally 4,500+ |
Current main transport vehicle |
BvS 10 | United Kingdom Sweden | All-terrain carrier | 48 | Additional 127 on order | |
Armoured personnel carriers
Name | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MOWAG Piranha | Switzerland | Wheeled armoured personnel carrier | Piranha IIIC | 33 | - |
Patria AMV | Finland | Wheeled armoured personnel carrier | 113 | Designated Pansarterrängbil 360 (Armoured Terrain Vehicle 360). | |
Patria Pasi | Finland | Wheeled armoured personnel carrier | XA-180S XA-202S XA-203S | 200 in total | Designated Pansarterrängbil 203 (Armoured Terrain Vehicle 203) |
Bv 206 | Sweden | Tracked armoured personnel carrier | Bv 206S | 50 | |
Infantry fighting vehicles
Vehicle | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Strf 90 | Sweden | Tracked infantry fighting vehicle | CV9040 CV9040A CV9040B CV9040C | 354[1] | Main infantry fighting vehicle |
Tanks
Vehicle | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Strv 121 | Germany Sweden | Main battle tank | Strv 121 | 12[2] | Used for recovery training |
Strv 122 | Germany Sweden | Main battle tank Armoured recovery vehicle Combat engineering vehicle | Strv 122 A/B Bgbv 120 Pionierpanzer 3 Kodiak | 120[3] Unknown Unknown | |
Artillery and mortars
Name | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M/41D | Sweden | Heavy mortar | 600 | 120mm caliber mortar | |
Artillerisystem 08 | Sweden | Self-propelled artillery | FH77BW L52 | 24[4] | Next-generation artillery system |
Bofors 40 mm | Sweden | Anti-aircraft autocannon | Bofors L/60 Bofors L/70 | Unknown | - |
MIM-23 Hawk | United States | Surface-to-air missile | RBS 77 RBS 97 | 8 launchers | Unknown number of missiles, at least 24 |
Navy
Sweden possesses highly sophisticated stealth and radar technology. For example, during an exercise outside California, the HSwMS Gotland managed to penetrate the massive defensive measures of an entire American carrier group, "sinking" the USS Ronald Reagan among other ships. While the Gotland-class still hasn't been surpassed in terms of stealth, Sweden is already working on an improved diesel-electric submarine: the A26. The first out of two A26 submarines will be laid down at the end of 2022.
Corvettes
Ship | Quantity | Names | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stockholm class | 2 | K11 - HMS Stockholm K12 - HMS Malmö | Sweden | Converted to patrol boats in 2017 |
Göteborg class | 2 (4) | K22 - HMS Gävle K24 - HMS Sundsvall |
Sweden | 4 vessels commissioned.
2 operational and 2 in mothballed |
Visby class | 5 | K31 - HMS Visby K32 - HMS Helsingborg K33 - HMS Härnösand K34 - HMS Nyköping K35 - HMS Karlstad | Sweden | Equipped with advanced stealth technology |
Minesweepers
Ship | Quantity | Names | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Styrsö class | 4 | M11 - HMS Styrsö M12 - HMS Spårö M13 - HMS Skaftö M14 - HMS Sturkö | Sweden | Some vessels have been converted to diving support and command vessels |
Koster class | 5 (7) | M73 - HMS Koster M74 - HMS Kullen M75 - HMS Vinga M76 - HMS Ven M77 - HMS Ulvön | Sweden | Improved version of the Landsort class. 7 commissioned and 5 operational |
Patrol boats
Ship | Quantity | Names | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tapper class | 11 (12) | 82 - HMS Djärv 83 - HMS Dristig 84 - HMS Händig 85 - HMS Trygg 86 - HMS Modig 87 - HMS Hurtig 88 - HMS Rapp 89 - HMS Stolt 90 - HMS Ärlig 91 - HMS Munter 92 - HMS Orädd | Sweden | Vessel no. 81 HMS Tapper decommissioned |
Stridsbåt 90 | 147[5] | Unknown | Sweden | - |
Stridsbåt 90 E | 5 | Unknown | Sweden | - |
Stridsbåt 2010 | 2 | Unknown | Sweden | With 2x 120 mm mortars |
Submarines
Submarine | Quantity | Names | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gotland class | 3 | HMS Gotland HMS Halland HMS Uppland | Sweden | Equipped with unsurpassed stealth capacity |
Södermanland class | 2 | HMS Södermanland HMS Östergötland | Sweden | |
A26 | 0 (2) | Unknown | Sweden | Was intended to enter service 2018-2019,[6] but was cancelled in February 2014 due to disagreements with ThyssenKrupp, the new owners of Kockums. A similar design will be delivered by SAAB Kokums in 2022 replacing the Södermanland class.[7] |
Auxiliary vessels
Ship | Quantity | Name | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
HMS Belos | 1 | HMS Belos | Netherlands | Used as submarine salvage ship |
1 | HMS Loke | Sweden | Used as transport vessel | |
1 | HMS Furusund | Sweden | Used as sub water research vessel | |
1 | HMS Nåttarö | Sweden | Used as transport vessel | |
HMS Orion | 1 | HMS Orion | Sweden | Used as signals intelligence vessel |
1 | HMS Pelikanen | Sweden | Used as torpedo salvage vessel | |
1 | HMS Hector | Sweden | Used as coastal tug boat | |
1 | HMS Hercules | Sweden | Used as coastal tug boat | |
HMS Trossö | 1 | HMS Trossö | Russia | Used as command vessel |
HSwMS Carlskrona | 1 | HSwMS Carlskrona | Sweden | Used as command and ocean patrol vessel |
School ships
Class | Quantity | Name | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
A500 class | 5 | A501 - HMS Altair A502 - HMS Antares A503 - HMS Arcturus A504 - HMS Argo A505 - HMS Astrea | Sweden | - |
2 | HMS Gladan HMS Falken | Sweden | Schooners used for naval training | |
Coast Guard ships
Even if the Swedish Coast Guard (Swedish: Kustbevakningen) is not officially a part of the navy, and operates under the Ministry of Justice (Swedish: Justitiedepartementet), its activities are coordinated with the Swedish Armed Forces in a number of areas.
The Coast Guard operate along the entire coastline of Sweden, with the mission to rescue, assist and monitor. The total number of vessels exceeds 100 whereof 25 are patrol boats dedicated to maritime surveillance.
In addition, the Coast Guard has 3 Dash 8 Q-300 aircraft for maritime surveillance.
Air force
Due to recent cuts in defensive expenditures, about half of the JAS 39 Gripens will be taken out of active service and put into storage during 2012. As the threat from the Soviet Union is gone, there is no need to maintain a large air force since most possible enemies of Sweden lack the ability to shoot down a Gripen.
Nine JAS 39 Gripens was sent to protect Libyan civilians during the Libyan Civil War. No shots were fired by the aircraft, nor were they fired upon.
Between 2007 and 2008, a report from the Riksdag[8] revealed what was called Flygsystem 2020 ("flight system 2020"), or FS 2020, a project to research and develop a fifth generation fighter with fully developed stealth capabilities by the year of 2020.
In 2012, it was announced that the Swedish government wishes to upgrade 70 Gripens to the NG/IN model by 2020, equipping them with a new engine, improved fuel capacity, higher payload and upgraded avionics.
Combat aircraft
The total number of combat aircraft and armed trainers in the Swedish air force is currently 217, and will in time be increased to 317-337.
Aircraft | Origin | Type | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
JAS 39C | Sweden | Multirole fighter | 60 | Current main combat aircraft |
JAS 39D | Sweden | Two-seat multirole fighter | 11 | Primary two-seater version |
JAS 39 E/F | Sweden | Multirole fighter | 0 (70) | Currently under testing |
Gripen Demo | Sweden | Technology demonstrator | 1 | Prototype for development of the Gripen NG/IN |
FS 2020 | Sweden | Stealth air superiority fighter | 0 | Currently under development[9] |
Dassault nEUROn | France | Stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle | 0 | Currently under development |
Saab 105 | Sweden | Trainer and light attack aircraft | 80 | Training aircraft |
Non-combat aircraft
Aircraft | Origin | Type | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
C-130 | United States | Heavy transport aircraft | 6 | Primary transport aircraft |
S 102B Korpen | United States Sweden | Signals intelligence aircraft | 2 | Modified version of the Gulfstream IV, equipped for SIGINT purposes |
TP 102A | United States | VIP transport | 1 | Royal family transport |
TP 102C | United States | VIP transport | 1 | Prime minister's transport |
TP 100 | Sweden | VIP passenger aircraft | 8 | - |
S 100 | Sweden | Airborne early warning and control | 2 | Previously 6 in service, sold to other countries |
UAV 02 Falken | Israel | Unmanned aerial vehicle | 48 | The smallest aircraft in the Swedish Royal Air Force, used for battlefield reconnaissance |
UAV 03 Örnen | United States | Unmanned aerial vehicle | 8 | - |
UAV 04 Svalan | United States | Unmanned aerial vehicle | 3 | - |
UAV 05B Korpen | United States | Unmanned aerial vehicle | 12 | Deployed by the Särskilda operationsgruppen |
Helicopters
Aircraft | Origin | Type | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
HKP 15 | Italy | Utility helicopter | 20 | - |
HKP 16 | United States | Utility helicopter | 15 | - |
HKP 14 | Finland | Utility helicopter | 18 | 9 TTH, 9 NFH |
Weapons and munitions
Name | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mauser BK-27 | Germany | 27 mm revolver cannon | Unknown | Primary gun for JAS 39 | |
Mark 82 | United States | 227 kg unguided bomb | BLU-111A/B BLU-111B BLU-126B Mark 62 Quickstrike mine | Unknown | Added thermal-protective coating Less sensitive explosive filler Lowered collateral damage for close support Naval mine version |
GBU-12 Paveway II | United States | 227 kg laser-guided bomb | Unknown | - | |
Bk.90 | Sweden | 600 kg cluster bomb | Unknown | Banned from service, but not withdrawn | |
RBS-15 | Sweden | Air-to-surface/anti-ship missile | RBS-15F Mk2 | Unknown | - |
Meteor | France | Radar-guided air-to-air missile | 0 | Currently under development; will reach IOC in 2016 | |
Rb.71 | United Kingdom Sweden | Semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile | British Aerospace Skyflash | Unknown | - |
Rb.74 | United States Sweden | Heat-seeking air-to-air missile | AIM-9M Sidewinder | Unknown | - |
Rb.75 | United States Sweden | Air-to-ground tactical missile | AGM-65B Maverick | 500 | - |
Rb.98 | European Union Sweden | Heat-seeking air-to-air missile | IRIS-T | 400 | Developed in collaboration between many European Union countries, including Sweden |
Rb.99 | United States Sweden | Active radar homing air-to-air missile | AIM-120B | Unknown | - |
See also
References
- The Military Balance 2014. p. 139.
- The Military Balance 2014. p. 139.
- The Military Balance 2014. p. 139.
- The Military Balance 2014. p. 134.
- The Military Balance 2014. p. 140.
- "Sverige ska satsa på nya ubåtar". SvD.se. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- Karlskrona TT. "FMV avbryter ubåtsförhandling". SvD.se. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- http://www.riksdagen.se/sv/Dokument-Lagar/Utredningar/Rapporter-fran-riksdagen/Forskning-och-utveckling-inom-_GV0WRFR8
- Limén, Helene. Rapport från Riksdagen 2007/08:RFR8 Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Försvarsutskottets ansvarsområde, 2007, p. 31.
Sources and further reading
- Home page of the Swedish Armed Forces
- http://www.soldf.com/
- See article links for further information on specific equipment