Sweden to test new drone swarm technology, defence minister says

NATO's newest member Sweden will test new drone swarm technology developed by defence equipment group Saab and the Nordic country's armed forces, Defence Minister Pal Jonson said on Monday.

Jonson told a news conference the army will test the technology, which was developed over the past year, during the upcoming Arctic Strike exercise.

"We will need to take some risks to build a stronger defence capability faster than we normally do," he said.


Jonson said the technology allows swarms of drones of different sizes to form and then solve tasks autonomously. "With these drone swarms it is possible to conduct both reconnaissance, positioning and identification".

Sweden joined the Western defence alliance NATO in March 2024 as a result of Russia's war in Ukraine and plans to increase defence spending to reach 2.6% of GDP in 2028, compared with 2.2% in 2024.