Saab has signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration regarding the modernisation of Sweden’s coastal anti-ship missile capability. The total order value is SEK 800 million and deliveries will begin in 2026. The majority of the order intake was booked in the third quarter of 2024.
The contract includes Saab’s RBS15 Mk3 anti-ship missile integrated on a launcher module installed on a truck. Sweden currently uses the predecessor RBS15 Mk2. The coastal anti-ship missile capability was reintroduced in the Swedish Armed Forces in 2016 and will now be complemented with RBS15 Mk3 on new launcher platforms.
“Sweden will receive a significant capability increase with an anti-ship missile featuring a more advanced target seeker, increased range and a larger warhead. RBS15 is specifically developed for the complex environment and harsh weather conditions of the Baltic Sea,” says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.
RBS15 Mk3 has a range of over 200 km, can be launched from ships and trucks and is primarily used against naval targets. The system is developed and produced by Saab and its German partner Diehl Defence.
The RBS15 (Robotsystem 15) is a long-range fire-and-forget surface-to-surface and air-to-surface, anti-ship missile, the first version of which (Mk I) entered service with the Swedish Navy in the mid 1980ies. It had a range of 70+ km.
The RBS-15 Mk II, which was used in the joint exercise, has the same range but brings improvements to the guidance system (which uses inertial, GPS and active radar homing). It is designed to be launched from land-based launchers, aircraft, and ships. Its production started in 1998.
The later version Mk III (not used by Sweden but in use with the German and Polish navies) has the ability to attack land targets and increases the missile range to over 200 km.
Sweden will be switching from the Mk II directly to the latest, Mk IV, variant (also known as Gungnir). According to Saab, it will have better range, a better seeker and lower weight. It is set to be deployed from Sweden’s Visby-class corvettes and JAS Gripen E fighters from the mid-2020ies.
The RSB15 (all variants) anti-ship missile has been selected by Sweden, Germany, Croatia, Finland, Poland, Thailand and Algeria.
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