Sweden seeks air-defense guns for its assault boats

MILAN — Sweden plans to acquire anti-aircraft guns for its fast-assault boats to counter drones and helicopters, as officials have warned that the Baltic Sea could become a flashpoint with Russia.

The Swedish Ministry of Defense’s equipment branch, dubbed FMV, has launched a call to purchase eight anti-aircraft guns under a contract valued at over $176 million.

The weapons will be placed on the Swedish-made Combat Boat 90, a high-speed and sharp-turning assault craft for the country’s amphibious units, according to recently published tender documents . They are slated to operate “in all naval geographical areas of interest,” and will include 12 years worth of ammunition designed to damage aircraft.

Anti-aircraft guns can be a lower-cost alternative to missile interceptors when it comes to protecting troops against drone attacks, a scenario that has become ubiquitous in Ukraine’s defense against Russian attacks.

While some Russian boats are already armed with these types of air defenses, Moscow was also reported to be creating mobile anti-aircraft gun units, where each truck would be equipped with Soviet-era anti-aircraft cannons.

The Swedish procurement comes amid concerns expressed by Micael Bydén, commander of the country’s armed forces, over Russia’s ambitions in the Baltic Sea region.

Of specific interest, he noted in a recent interview with German media network RND, is the island of Gotland, located in the middle of the Baltic Sea, around 330 kilometers from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

“I am confident that Putin even has both eyes on Gotland – his goal is to gain control of the Baltic Sea, and who controls Gotland controls the Baltic Sea,” Byden said .

Given its tactical importance for Sweden, now a NATO member, and the wider region, the Scandinavian country has stationed permanent troops on the island.

Earlier this month, the Russian government floated plans to revise its maritime borders around the country’s islands in the Gulf of Finland and around Kaliningrad, a move that would open territorial disputes with nearby NATO members.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——瑞典计划为其快速突击艇购置防空炮，以对抗无人机和直升机。此前，瑞典官员警告称，波罗的海可能成为与俄罗斯发生冲突的爆发点。

瑞典国防部装备部门 FMV 发起了一项采购 8 门防空炮的招标，合同价值超过 1.76 亿美元。

根据最近公布的招标文件，这些武器将安装在瑞典制造的“战斗艇90”（Combat Boat 90）上，这是一种高速、高机动性的两栖攻击艇，专供瑞典两栖部队使用。这些武器计划在“所有海军关注区域”执行任务，并将配备足够12年使用的、旨在对飞机造成破坏的弹药。

在保护部队免受无人机袭击方面，防空炮可以成为比导弹拦截器成本更低的替代方案，这种情况在乌克兰防御俄罗斯袭击中已变得司空见惯。

虽然一些俄罗斯舰艇已经配备了这类防空武器，但据报道，莫斯科也在组建移动式防空炮部队，每辆卡车都将配备苏联时代的防空炮。

瑞典此次采购正值该国武装部队司令米凯尔·比登对俄罗斯在波罗的海地区的野心表示担忧之际。

他在最近接受德国媒体网络 RND 采访时特别指出，位于波罗的海中部的哥特兰岛尤其值得关注，该岛距离俄罗斯飞地加里宁格勒约 330 公里。

“我确信普京甚至对哥特兰岛也虎视眈眈——他的目标是控制波罗的海，而谁控制了哥特兰岛，谁就控制了波罗的海，”拜登说道。

鉴于该岛对瑞典（现为北约成员国）和更广泛的地区具有重要的战术意义，这个北欧国家已在该岛上驻扎了常驻部队。

本月初，俄罗斯政府提出了修改芬兰湾岛屿和加里宁格勒周边海域边界的计划，此举将引发与邻近北约成员国的领土争端。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。