Sweden has signed a series of air defense contracts worth 8.7 billion kronor ($916 million), with deliveries scheduled for 2027 and 2028, Defense Minister Pål Jonson said.

In a statement released Thursday, Jonson said the agreements cover multiple air defense systems and related command-and-control assets, including around 70 vehicles, a larger number of Tridon gun systems, Trackfire systems, electronic warfare equipment, and command systems.

“Today we can announce that several air defense contracts worth 8.7 billion have been concluded with deliveries in 2027–2028. The air defense systems will be used for the protection of critical infrastructure and against drones,” Jonson said.

The procurement forms part of Sweden’s broader military rearmament effort as the country responds to a more uncertain regional security environment and the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial systems. Officials said the contracts implement parts of the government’s earlier 15 billion kronor ($1,58 biilion) investment in broad-area air defense, as well as a separate 3.5 billion kronor ($368,5 million) rapid purchase of anti-drone systems.

Jonson said the systems will support a new mobile defense concept known as GUTE, developed jointly by the defense industry and Swedish defense authorities. The concept is intended to provide rapidly deployable anti-drone capability that can be moved quickly to meet changing threat conditions across Sweden.

“Sweden is large and we cannot defend all locations with air defense at the same time,” Jonson said. “The defense industry together with the defense authorities has therefore developed a mobile concept called GUTE. The idea is to be able to quickly move anti-drone capabilities to meet different threat scenarios.”

The mobile architecture reflects a growing emphasis on flexible short-range air defense systems capable of protecting infrastructure nodes, military facilities, and urban areas against drones and other low-altitude threats. This type of capability has become increasingly important as low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles continue to play a central role in modern conflicts.

The inclusion of Tridon systems is particularly notable. Tridon is a mobile anti-aircraft gun platform designed for short-range air defense and counter-drone operations. Combined with Trackfire targeting systems and electronic warfare assets, the package is intended to create a layered response against small aerial threats, including reconnaissance drones and one-way attack systems.

Electronic warfare and command systems included in the contracts will likely support target detection, signal disruption, and coordination between distributed defense assets. The systems are intended to provide both kinetic and non-kinetic options for countering drones and protecting fixed sites.

Jonson said the scale of Sweden’s air defense buildup is unprecedented in the modern era.

“Air defense was hit hard by the previous drawdown, but not since the Second World War has Swedish air defense been expanded to this extent,” he said.

According to the minister, Sweden’s air defense investments reached around 50 billion kronor ($5,27 billion) in 2025 alone, a figure he said is roughly equivalent to the country’s entire 2018 defense budget.

The minister also linked Sweden’s domestic procurement to operational lessons from Ukraine. Jonson said Sweden and Denmark have jointly decided to send Tridon gun systems to Ukraine, where the systems are expected to generate practical battlefield data relevant to Sweden’s own drone defense efforts.

“Through this, we will be able to bring back important experience and data from the battlefield in Ukraine to our drone defense,” he said.

Jonson said the government intends to maintain the current pace of military modernization.

“No task is more important for a government than the protection of Sweden and the Swedish population,” he said. “We have a clear picture of the uncertain global security situation and we will continue to maintain a high tempo in the rearmament. Reality demands it.”