Swedish Armed Forces

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Lord Jim
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by Lord Jim »

I thought Sweden had brought back conscription?

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Lord Jim wrote:I thought Sweden had brought back conscription?
Yes, but (no, but :angel: )
- it is now running at 4000/ yr and used to beef up the army (new units in formation will spread the regulars, initially, thinner). As there is much more training need, rgmnts will be re-established... but they will fold to the three bdes when and if the flag goes up

By 2025 the yearly volume will be double
- which then means that the so far pure-volunteer TA/ Home Guard can be built up in numbers (and get more of the kit the conscripts have recently trained with)

So, by the end of this decade, the home guard would be able to provide perimeter defence for any distributed airbase coming near 'your' town. In addition to what they do already, with the numbers as a limiting factor: secure strategic installations in their area, which also includes securing the transport connectivity for the 2 (future 3) manoeuvre bdes to arrive, timely, to where they are needed

Considering that Finland is the size of the UK and Sweden considerably larger by area, the 'two' (bdes) has been a ridiculous number: one to the North of Stockholm and the other for the South... both areas the size of a 'country'
- and only enough artillery for one :? of them

A much LATER EDIT: re-read this one, and a significant omission is the the two half-brigades (up from bn strength) for the protection of the capital (in AMVs) and Gotland (same kit as any of the other mech. formations)
- when you reflect this against the Aurora 17 threat picture, Gothenburg is an obvious omission. A second amphibious (Marines) bn was planned for its basing in that region, but whether the budget will stretch that far has since come under discussion)
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

After 20 years of 'thinking about it' the Visbys will be fitted with SAMs
... but of which type?

In those intervening two decades stand-off weapons have gained not just capability but (hugely) in numbers. And the Visby hulls are quite fully utised; will a RAM installation fit somewhere, but, if so, would stick out from the lines designed for stealth
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

Lord Jim
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by Lord Jim »

I am sure Israel might have something that would fit the bill.

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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by SW1 »

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3 ... ittershare

For a country with a population of just over 10 million people, it’s impressive that Sweden is able to maintain an indigenous fighter aircraft program that is first and foremost designed to meet a domestic need. The Saab Gripen is a small and versatile fighter that meets a very specific Swedish requirement, but its mantra of being “affordable” doesn’t mean it compromises on lethality. In fact, the latest Gripen E variant includes features that could help to inspire others’ future fighter plans.

The Gripen E can carry up to seven MBDA Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, it features the Leonardo ES-05 Raven Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, and the Leonardo Skyward G infrared search and track (IRST) sensor. The new Electronic Warfare System (EWS) is a feature that Saab is especially proud of, and it features a 360-degree spherical Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS).

It is the Gripen E’s avionics architecture that is particularly noteworthy. Saab claims that its design is nothing short of revolutionary. It is configured to enable the rapid insertion of new hardware and updated software applications to embrace new missions. This is an area in which Saab says it has invested enormously in developing. The computers themselves can be swapped out quickly to allow constant increases in processing power. It also means that customers can design and develop their own software, enabling the rapid introduction of new technologies and systems to deal with ever-evolving threats without hardware impeding progress.

Saab says it is actively working towards avionics and mission systems that are adaptable on the battlefield so that an operator can fight ‘day one’ of a conflict, learn, and then adapt by adding new or adapting existing software applications to give a combat advantage for ‘day two.’ It’s the kind of agile avionics performance that is being mandated for U.S. manufacturers as the military seeks to field smaller fleets of “Digital” fighter aircraft far more swiftly and apply new capabilities to new and existing types extremely fast, with software updates even potentially occurring while the aircraft is in flight.

Alongside its impressive avionics, the Gripen E totes some very high-end sensors. It was the first fighter aircraft to feature an AESA radar mounted on a rotating repositioner or swashplate. This enables the electronically scanned antenna, which is normally fixed in a forward position on fighter aircraft, to be slewed to the left and to the right in order to increase its field-of-view.

“The swashplate makes it possible to have a 140-degree search volume within a 200-degree look-angle around the nose of the aircraft,” explains Nordlander. “As well as scanning directly ahead, the swashplate allows the aircraft to scan further to the left and right, in fact, you can actually “look” aft left or aft right with the radar. This is a huge benefit during BVR [Beyond Visual Range] engagements or in a GBAD [Ground-Based Air Defense] environment when you don’t want to point the aircraft directly into a specific area.”

Lord Jim
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by Lord Jim »

Fascinating video on how you the Swedes adapted the tracks on their AFVs to deal with snow and the lack of grip. IT also shows how the solutions have evolved over time. Makes on wonder if the British Army has any such kit laying around in its depots in case it needs to deploy tracked armour into Norway for example?

Though not totally relevant to this thread, the videos by the Swedish Tank Museum do offer some unique insights into operating AFVs as well as showing some very unique vehicles and so is worth a watch.

One video on cooking in a tank showed that when the Swedes bought their first Centurions in the 1950s they cam with the standard British Army "Boiling Vessel", and the Swedes fell in love with the piece of kit and have installed the things in every AFV since up to and including their Leopard 2s.

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whitelancer
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by whitelancer »

When CVR(T) deployed to Norway as part of AMF(L) they were fitted with studded tracks, basically standard tracks with studs fired into the pads. This worked well on roads and tracks. The problem with CVR(T) was that it was both too light and too heavy. To explain in deep snow it was too heavy (to great ground pressure) to ride on top of the snow as the BV series of vehicles did. While being too light to compact the snow sufficiently for the tracks to get a grip .
Interestingly the Norwegians when they met deep snow in their Leopard 1s would use it as a bulldozer, forcing through the snow as far as possible, reversing up then charging again until they got through it. That was the advantage of their weight compared to CVR(T).

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Why plow thru when you can jump over:
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

Lord Jim
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by Lord Jim »

So all we need to do is build an 25m embankment with a 45 degree slope with a 2m moat, 2m deep in front and the Baltics are safe! :D

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Lord Jim wrote:a 2m moat, 2m deep in front and the Baltics are safe!
... in the winter, too?

General Winter is a classic, in Russian defence studies. Lessons learnt, and all that
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

Lord Jim
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by Lord Jim »

Ok drain the moat in September then :D

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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by Lord Jim »

I really have an interest in the Swedish military and found this video very enlightening regarding the current state of the Swedish Army's high readiness formations. This publisher on You Tube does make some pretty good videos on the organisation of units form various armies and well worth a look.

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Found this one by chance; OOPS looks like it is the same as in the previous post... so just some comments on the video posted by @LJ, above

- it includes CV90 versions not in use anywhere else,
- and surprisingly they still have the predecessor in service as an ambulance - probably because it has an internal height much in excess of that of the CV90.

Also the vid is quite in depth as for the command arrangements within their AI, and also the flexibility of how the dismounted component is armed, as per situation at hand or expected OpFor mix.
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by Defiance »

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/defe ... to-service

Sweden's plans for their Gripen force have been confirmed for the time being - they're still going to keep 40 Gripen C/D to supplement the 60 Gripen E force. This breaks down to 4 E squadrons and 2 C/D squadrons. The first examples will be delivered to Satenas (some 200 miles west of Stockholm) in 2022.

Interestingly they're going to look to invest in a new cruise missile. They'll probably buy KEPD 350 off the shelf or fund the development of a derivative (KEPD 350 being a Saab/MBDA Germany product).

South Korea are developing a KEPD 350 derivative for KF-21 so could potentially join on to that effort, or they may seek a collaboration with Germany again.

They've also re-confirmed a recent news announcement that 2 GlobalEye will replace their 2 Erieye.

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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by SW1 »

https://www.saab.com/newsroom/stories/2 ... aign=story


To be able to navigate with confidence and accuracy when GPS is unavailable for a long time is a game-changing capability for a fighter pilot. It sounds like a challenge - for others. Saab have studied and tested image-based and terrain navigation techniques and now propose new technology for powerful tactical navigation capability in GPS-denied environments.

Last year, Saab performed successful flight tests with Gripen E using new algorithms providing real-time and highly accurate positioning based on image mapping, known as 3D-mapping. The tests, conducted in collaboration with Maxar, successfully proved the concept where data from on-board electro-optical sensors and geo-registration algorithms is compared with a 3D surface model database in the aircraft.

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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by Timmymagic »

So they've discovered DSMAC and Terprom....

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Defiance wrote:Interestingly they're going to look to invest in a new cruise missile. They'll probably buy KEPD 350 off the shelf or fund the development of a derivative (KEPD 350 being a Saab/MBDA Germany product).
As an aside, without one Gripen does not have much of a chance in the Finnish fighter competition...
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

Lord Jim
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by Lord Jim »

Doesn't the Finnish Air Force already have a reasonably effective stand off weapon?

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Indeed. Try to :think: fit them onto the Gripen...
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by Lord Jim »

Maybe SAAB with the help of the Swedish Air Force would try to see if it was possible and pay for the qualification as a part of any deal in the small print.

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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by RunningStrong »

SW1 wrote:https://www.saab.com/newsroom/stories/2 ... aign=story


To be able to navigate with confidence and accuracy when GPS is unavailable for a long time is a game-changing capability for a fighter pilot. It sounds like a challenge - for others. Saab have studied and tested image-based and terrain navigation techniques and now propose new technology for powerful tactical navigation capability in GPS-denied environments.

Last year, Saab performed successful flight tests with Gripen E using new algorithms providing real-time and highly accurate positioning based on image mapping, known as 3D-mapping. The tests, conducted in collaboration with Maxar, successfully proved the concept where data from on-board electro-optical sensors and geo-registration algorithms is compared with a 3D surface model database in the aircraft.
Why would a fighter aircraft be terrain following?

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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by J. Tattersall »

RunningStrong wrote: Why would a fighter aircraft be terrain following?
Possibly not terrain following in the cruise missile sense, but careful use of terrain in a high ground to air threat environment might be very appropriate. It is of course not so long ago that much of NATO had a low level operating doctrine.

donald_of_tokyo
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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by donald_of_tokyo »

RunningStrong wrote:
SW1 wrote:https://www.saab.com/newsroom/stories/2 ... aign=story


To be able to navigate with confidence and accuracy when GPS is unavailable for a long time is a game-changing capability for a fighter pilot. It sounds like a challenge - for others. Saab have studied and tested image-based and terrain navigation techniques and now propose new technology for powerful tactical navigation capability in GPS-denied environments.

Last year, Saab performed successful flight tests with Gripen E using new algorithms providing real-time and highly accurate positioning based on image mapping, known as 3D-mapping. The tests, conducted in collaboration with Maxar, successfully proved the concept where data from on-board electro-optical sensors and geo-registration algorithms is compared with a 3D surface model database in the aircraft.
Why would a fighter aircraft be terrain following?
"Image-based and terrain navigation" is a technology for navigation, while "terrain following" is a tactics of how to fly. If you have a navigation information, you can decide to follow the terrain or just fly over it.

"Terrain following" is more like the Mach Loop. It is good tactics, but need good training.

Anyway, "Image-based and terrain navigation" does not mean "terrain following".

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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by SW1 »

RunningStrong wrote:
SW1 wrote:https://www.saab.com/newsroom/stories/2 ... aign=story


To be able to navigate with confidence and accuracy when GPS is unavailable for a long time is a game-changing capability for a fighter pilot. It sounds like a challenge - for others. Saab have studied and tested image-based and terrain navigation techniques and now propose new technology for powerful tactical navigation capability in GPS-denied environments.

Last year, Saab performed successful flight tests with Gripen E using new algorithms providing real-time and highly accurate positioning based on image mapping, known as 3D-mapping. The tests, conducted in collaboration with Maxar, successfully proved the concept where data from on-board electro-optical sensors and geo-registration algorithms is compared with a 3D surface model database in the aircraft.
Why would a fighter aircraft be terrain following?
It’s still a trained profile much much less now but I think this is more to do with using terrain mapping to accurately navigate the aircraft in a denied gps/satellite world

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Re: Swedish Armed Forces

Post by RunningStrong »

Appreciate the comments gents, I've misinterpreted using terrain mapping from altitude to determine the platform location with using the information to avoid obstacles at low level.

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