Finland, a European country that recently joined NATO, was ratified in April 2023, and after receiving a nod from Turkey on the 23rd of this month, Sweden now only needs to be approved by Hungary, a NATO member that maintains ties with RussiaIt can be said that Sweden has one foot in the door of NATO, and Sweden, which has enjoyed more than 200 years of peace, is finally ready to send itself to the battlefield.
Swedish armored forces marched in formationSweden has not been involved in a war since 1814, and joining NATO also means that the policy of "non-alignment in peacetime and neutrality in wartime" pursued by the Swedes for more than 200 years is about to become obsolete, and today we will talk about Sweden, which ranks 29th in the global military ranking.
The Swedish Army Armoured Formation Maneuver Exercise The Swedish Wehrmacht is the armed forces of the Kingdom of Sweden, consisting of the Swedish Army, the Swedish Air Force, the Swedish Navy, and a military reserve force, the Royal Swedish Guard, which reached its peak during the Swedish Empire in the 17th century and participated in various wars including the Scania War, the Second Northern War, and the Great Northern War. The Swedish Defence Forces have 24,400 regular troops, 32,900 reserve troops, and 40 battalions of the National Guard, totaling 22,000 men, many of whom have served in regular army units.
In 2022, the Swedish Army Combat Formation The Swedish Army has 19 support battalions of various types, including 8 mechanized infantry battalions, artillery battalions, air defense battalions, engineer battalions, reconnaissance battalions, and logistics battalions, 4 reserve heavy armored battalions and 40 territorial defense battalions, with a total of 6,850 active army personnel (Sweden uses a training instructor system for active duty, and the number here is the official website of the Ministry of Defense, which may not be equal to the number of equipment, and the Navy and Air Force are the sameIt has 121 tanks (Leopard 2A5), about 1300 armored personnel carriers, 800 infantry fighting vehicles, 11300 general-purpose vehicles, 84 towed guns, 48 self-propelled guns, 40 self-propelled mortars.
The Swedish Navy has a submarine fleet, two surface fleets and two marines, with a total strength of 2,100 personnel and a total of 387 ships, including 4 submarines, 7 frigates, 9 minesweepers, 13 large patrol boats and 9 special ships with different support tasks.
Swedish Army *** formationAt present, the Swedish Air Force has a total of 210 aircraft, with a total strength of 2,700 people in active service, including 94 Swedish Gripen C-130H transport aircraft, 4 Saab 340 transport aircraft, 4 Gulfstream transport aircraft and 15 UH-60 Black Hawk NH-90 NATO***
2. The main equipment of the Swedish Defense Forces
Swedish soldiers are training1. Straf-122 main battle tank
Straf-122 main battle tankThe STRV122 is a Swedish main battle tank that, like the German Leopard 2A5, is an improved version based on the German Leopard 2 tank, using a new command, control, fire control system, from the outside, the car differs from the Leopard 2A5 by the French Galaix smoke dispenser, different storage compartments, and thicker crew hatches. In October 2023, the Swedish Army announced that a total of 44 STRV122s would be upgraded to STRV123A, equipped with a more powerful L 55 gun, new tracks, commander's optics, and driver's night vision devices, with the first STRV123A tank to be delivered in 2026.
2. Steff 90 tracked armored infantry fighting vehicle
Stef 90 tracked armored infantry fighting vehicle The Stef 90 infantry tank is a Swedish tracked armored infantry fighting vehicle designed from the mid-80s to the early 1990s of the 20th century, which began to enter service with the Swedish Army in the mid-90s of the 20th century. With technological advancements and changing battlefield needs, the design of the Stef 90 Infantry Tank has evolved from MK0 to the current MKIV, with the Swedish version of the Main Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) equipped with a 40mm Bofors automatic cannon and the export version equipped with a 30mm MK44 or 35mm Bofors automatic cannon.
Developed for the Nordic and sub-Arctic climates, the infantry vehicle is very maneuverable in snow and wetlands, and can carry eight (six in later versions) heavily armed soldiers, as well as derivatives such as forward artillery observation, command and control, air defense, armored recovery vehicles, and electronic warfare versions. Currently, a total of 1,400 vehicles (17 models) are in service with 10 countries, seven of which are NATO members.
3. Patria wheeled armored personnel carrier
Patria armored personnel carrier Patria AMV (Armored Modular Vehicle) equipped with a remote-controlled ** station is an 8 8 multipurpose military vehicle produced by the Finnish defense industry company Patria. The main feature of the AMV is its modular design, which allows the installation of different turrets, **sensors or communication systems on the same compartment. There are different designs of APC vehicles (armored personnel carriers) and IFV versions (infantry fighting vehicles), communication versions, ambulances and different fire support versions, equipped with large-caliber mortars and artillery systems. The vehicle has a very good mine protection rating and can withstand up to 10 kg (22 lbs) TNT**.
4. Archer self-propelled howitzer
The Swedish Archer Artillery Archer self-propelled howitzer is a 155 mm 52x diameter self-propelled howitzer developed by Sweden, mounted on a Volvo A30D modified all-terrain articulated truck, with armor protection in the crew compartment and engine compartment, bulletproof and anti-splinter glass in the cab, and an ammunition supply vehicle and a support vehicle attached to the vehicle. The howitzer is extremely tactically maneuverable, capable of reaching road speeds of up to 90 km/h (56 mph) and being able to traverse to depths of up to 1 meter (3.).3 feet) of snow, which can be transported by rail or by air via Boeing C-17.
5. Saab JAS39 Gripen fighter
The pinnacle of the Swedish military industry - Saab JAS 39 Gripen Fighter Saab JAS39 Gripen Fighter is a light single-engine supersonic multi-role fighter manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab. The Gripen is a multi-role fighter designed to serve as a lightweight, agile aerial platform with advanced, adaptable avionics. The Gripen is available in delta and canard configurations with a relaxed stability design and fly-by-wire flight controls. Later models are fully interoperable with NATO, and as of 2020, more than 271 Gripen of all models (A-F) have been delivered, and the countries currently equipped are Brazil, the Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand.
6. Visby-class frigates
The Visby-class frigate The Visby-class frigate is a new type of frigate designed by the Swedish Defense Materials Agency (FMV) and built by Saab Kaukum of Karlskrona, following the Gothenburg-class and Stockholm-class frigates. Named after the main city of Visby on the island of Gotland, the lead ship of the class was launched in 2000 but production was subsequently repeatedly postponed, with the fifth and final ship delivered in 2015 with a design that emphasizes low-visibility radar sections and infrared signatures, and the class has received a lot of attention from the international community for its stealth ship capabilities.
Summary: Although Sweden has not participated in the war for more than 200 years, it has a complete industrial chain in key military fields such as fighter jets, howitzers, and **.