Sweden’s government announced on Monday that it is purchasing German-made air defence systems for nine billion kronor ($930 million), as the Nordic nation continues to significantly increase its defence spending.
The acquired system is the IRIS-T SLM, a medium-range air defence missile system produced by Germany’s Diehl.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson highlighted the significance of this acquisition, stating, “This air defence system is the first we are acquiring and perhaps one of the most important capabilities Sweden has acquired since our Patriot purchase in the 1990s.”
Defence Minister Pal Jonsson, alongside Kristersson, emphasised that the war in Ukraine has served as an “eye-opener for the importance of a strong air defence,” reinforcing that this investment is part of Sweden’s “rapid rearmament that is already underway.”
Sweden had drastically cut its defence spending after the Cold War, but reversed this trend following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
In March, the Swedish government announced plans to add approximately 300 billion kronor to its defence budget over the next decade, aiming to reach 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2030, up from the current 2.4 per cent.
The Nordic country abandoned two centuries of military non-alignment and applied for NATO membership after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, becoming the alliance’s 32nd member in March of last year.
This investment comes as US President Donald Trump has demanded that NATO allies commit to spending five per cent of GDP on defence, with members working towards a deal at a summit this week.
NATO chief Mark Rutte has urged members to allocate 3.5 per cent to direct military spending by 2032, plus an additional 1.5 per cent for broader security-related expenditures.
