The Swedish Air Force has deployed its new counter-drone system, known as “Loke,” for the first time in a NATO mission. The concept, developed jointly by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), the Swedish Armed Forces, and Saab, has already become part of Sweden’s base-defense structure.
The system was operational between April and September 2025 during Sweden’s contribution to NATO activities at Malbork Air Base in Poland. Units from the 21st Wing, later replaced by the 17th Wing, were tasked with securing allied facilities, including a logistics hub central to military assistance for Ukraine.
“Effective air operations require robust ground protection. The systems we deployed significantly strengthened base security, both for us and our allies,” said Lieutenant Colonel Christian Bertilsson, commander of the Swedish contingent in Poland.
Development and Capabilities
First presented in February 2025, Loke was created by combining existing technologies into a modular system. It integrates Saab’s Giraffe 1X mobile radar with the Trackfire Remote Weapon Station armed with medium and heavy machine guns, along with electronic warfare components. The system is designed to detect and track both physical targets and signals in the electromagnetic spectrum, enabling early warning and multiple neutralization options.
“To counter emerging threats, an optimized sensor-to-shooter chain is crucial. We achieved what many thought impossible in record time, including the necessary education and training to support the mission. The fact that our jointly developed counter-drone systems now are operational in the field is clear proof of how effective collaboration between the Armed Forces and the defence industry can and should be,” said Angelica Persson, Counter-UAS Business Development Analyst at Saab.
The Swedish Armed Forces and Saab are continuing work on the system, with the 21st Wing currently training to operate Loke at the platoon level. Experience from recent exercises, including Baltic Trust 2025 in Latvia, is shaping further development. Full wartime unit integration is scheduled by the end of 2025.
