Sweden, France join forces for anti-tank capabilities

MILAN — Sweden and France will increase their cooperation in the fielding of anti-tank capabilities as part of a new strategic agreement signed this week between the two nations, which will involve defense giants Saab and MBDA.

The chief executives of Swedish defense firm Saab, and multinational manufacturer MBDA, signed letters of intent on Jan 31. to strengthen the collaboration between their companies in the anti-tank and air-defense domains.

“We will be combining our expertise to deliver the best capabilities for the armed forces on the battlefield,” Éric Beranger, chief executive of MBDA, said.

The statement highlighted that the initial focus of this partnership will revolve around the supply of the French anti-tank guided missile system, the Akeron MP, to the Swedish and French armed forces.

A contract to this effect has already been awarded to both companies by their respective defense procurement agencies.

In the longer-term, their cooperation will also allow for the development of new variants of the missile to equip it with advanced capabilities, including beyond-line-of-sight firing.

This joint capability roadmap will position Akeron MP’s as an key tool in high-intensity conflicts, the Saab news release stated.

The anti-tank missile weighs 15 kilograms and has a range in excess of 4,000 meters, per the company website.

The announcement came as part of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Sweden this week, during which he made a number of important remarks around the future of European security policy.

“We will have to be ready to act, defend and support Ukraine, whatever the U.S. decides. We are lucky to have such a partner, but we have to be lucid about the fact that Ukraine is part of the European continent and make the right and bold decisions,” he said during a speech at the Swedish Defense University.

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——瑞典和法国本周签署了一项新的战略协议，作为两国合作的一部分，两国将在反坦克能力部署方面加强合作，国防巨头萨博和MBDA也将参与其中。

1月31日，瑞典国防公司萨博和跨国制造商MBDA的首席执行官签署了意向书，以加强两家公司在反坦克和防空领域的合作。

MBDA首席执行官埃里克·贝朗热表示：“我们将结合我们的专业知识，为战场上的武装部队提供最佳能力。”

声明强调，此次合作的初期重点将围绕向瑞典和法国武装部队供应法国反坦克导弹系统“阿克龙MP”展开。

两家公司各自的国防采购机构已经授予了它们一份相关的合同。

从长远来看，他们的合作还将促进导弹新型号的研发，使其具备先进能力，包括超视距发射。

萨博公司新闻稿称，这项联合能力路线图将使 Akeron MP 成为高强度冲突中的关键工具。

据该公司网站介绍，该反坦克导弹重15公斤，射程超过4000米。

这一消息是在法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙本周访问瑞典期间宣布的，访问期间他围绕欧洲安全政策的未来发表了一系列重要讲话。

“无论美国做出什么决定，我们都必须做好行动准备，保卫和支持乌克兰。我们很幸运能有这样一个伙伴，但我们必须清楚地认识到，乌克兰是欧洲大陆的一部分，并做出正确而果断的决定，”他在瑞典国防大学的演讲中说道。

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。