Sweden’s Luftvärnssystem (Air Defence System) 23 has entered service with the Swedish Army’s Air Defence Regiment (Luftvärnsregementet, Lv 6) on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea after having been taken out of storage, the Swedish Armed Forces have confirmed to Jane’s . Philip Simon, the Swedish Armed Forces head of press, said on 4 July that the system had been incorporated into the order of battle.
The Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters announced on its website on 1 July the deployment of the Luftvärnssystem 23 to Gotland. (Tomas Ängshammar/Försvarsmakten)
The Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters announced on its website on 1 July the deployment of the Luftvärnssystem 23 to Gotland. The decision was taken by the Swedish Armed Forces Supreme Commander, General Micael Bydén.
The system was developed between 1993 and 2003 and the Swedish Armed Forces trained conscripts on it in Lv 6 in 2008. It was used at the time for demonstrations but has been in storage since then. The system is produced by Saab and consists of the PS-90 radar and several fire units. Its missiles have a range of 15–20 km and can reach a speed of more than Mach 3, according to the Swedish Armed Forces.
Simon said work to take the Luftvärnssystem 23 out of storage had begun around one and a half years ago. The work was done by Swedish industry and Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV). The system does not replace the need for future new air- defence systems but fulfils an initial air-defence capability requirement, according to Gen Bydén.
This story has been updated with new information and a photo.
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