Ukrainian air defenses to be bolstered by Swedish radars and short-range systems
After a recent meeting of European leaders in Kiev, aid packages were announced for the Ukrainian armed forces, which are intended to potentially help them continue their combat activities in the coming period, or rather, at a time of uncertainty about continued US military support.
The declared deliveries from Ireland and Sweden, which will support air defense, need to be combined. The Swedish defense package includes RBS 70 NG and Tridon Mk2 air defense systems worth 1.2 billion Swedish crowns (approximately $113 million). “Today, Sweden can announce new air defense systems worth 1.2 billion SEK, which will come to Ukraine through package 18,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson announced on the social network X.
“It includes, among other things, the new Swedish TRIDON Mk2 air defense system. It can help Ukraine defend itself against drones, guided missiles, aircraft and armored vehicles. This statement by the Swedish minister can be questioned especially with regard to armored vehicles, the system is armed with a 40 mm Bofors cannon, which is installed on the chassis of a 6×6 truck. It is clearly suitable against drones, the use of 40 mm Bofors guns against armored vehicles did not quite work out for Poland, which managed to produce 306 of them under license by September 1, 1939. However, it was a valuable anti-aircraft weapon, which applies to various modifications to this day. They were also used in the Middle East by the Czechoslovak 200th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment since 1942, so they are also part of Czech and Slovak military history.
Currently, in addition to Sweden, Serbia has also tried to modernize them. The Serbian “hybrid” air defense system can use a 40 mm Bofors cannon and the French Mistral 3 MANPADS missile, or the older Soviet R-13M air missile, and in the Serbian army it is to cooperate with modernized M 85 Giraffe radars (originally Saab Giraffe 75, for which Serbia bought a license)
The result of the Swedish efforts was the presentation at Eurosatory 2024 of the Tridon Mk2 system, which has an effective range of up to 12 km (depending on the target, selected ammunition, sensor set and surrounding terrain), can fire the Bofors 3P programmable ammunition, which is designed to destroy a wide range of threats, especially unmanned aerial vehicles and other aerial threats. The Bofors 40 Mk4 fires at a rate of 300 rounds per minute and holds 100 rounds: 30 rounds ready for firing in the primary magazine and another 70 rounds in the secondary magazine. If necessary, it is possible to combine different types of ammunition in a salvo.
The report on the Tridon Mk2 system emphasizes the more than 90-year tradition of the gun and the naval origin of the turret:
The RBS 70 or Robot 70 is a portable air defense system from Saab Bofors Dynamics. The author mentioned in a previous article that the system would be more suitable for the Slovak armed forces, which are, however, immune to reports of what actually works on the Ukrainian battlefield, for example. We will wait 7 years until the selected missiles are marked obsolete as Spartan and it will be consolidated again.
The deployment of additional Ukrainian RBS 70s will probably be effectively coordinated by Swedish Saab Giraffe IV radars from an unconventional donor. Meanwhile, Ireland is reportedly considering providing Ukraine with a significant portion of its aging Giraffe Mark IV air defense radars.
As for the Giraffe system, Irish media reports say an agreement with the Ukrainian armed forces is awaited regarding the acceptance of the systems and the provision of training. A total of seven of these radars are in service with the Irish armed forces. It has not yet been decided whether all or part of the systems will be transferred. In the Irish army, the radars are mounted on Swedish Bandvagn 206 articulated all-terrain vehicles and guide the RBS 70 air defense systems.
Peter Weiss
