Sweden buys drone package from Danish SME

Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has purchased new reconnaissance and attack drones from Danish SME Nordic Wing, as Sweden seeks to bolster its uncrewed systems capabilities.

The FMV, the procurement agency responsible for supplying the Swedish Armed Forces, said in an announcement on 19 August that the package consists of two complementary drones linked by common software.

One of the drones is the Astero – a drone designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) – which Nordic Wing states has been in service in Ukraine since 2023. The second is the Raptor 2, a fixed-wing attack drone.

According to the Danish company, the Astero ISR drone can act as a relay and spotter for between one to three Raptor systems while in “wingman mode”. The Raptor 2 can then be used to engage the detected targets.

How the Astero and Raptor 2 work

“With this acquisition, the [Swedish] Armed Forces can continue to develop its capabilities in loitering munitions,” said Eric Holmberg, the FMV’s head of artillery and mortar systems.

Additional equipment, such as operator stations in the form of laptops and radios, and simulators for training and practice are also included in the purchase. Workshop containers for maintenance in the field will additionally be provided by Nordic Wing.

Deliveries of the two drones to the Swedish Armed Forces are planned for the second quarter of 2027. The FMV has not disclosed the value of the acquisition or the total number of uncrewed systems involved. 

“Opportune purchases” – a fast-track procurement route

The procurement was carried out within a framework for “opportune purchases”, approved in Sweden’s 2025 Spring Amending Budget. With a SEK25 billion (GBP1.94 billion) budget, this framework allows the FMV and Swedish Armed Forces to buy operational systems at a high technology readiness level at short notice, the procurement agency said.

The new acquisition follows an earlier push by Sweden to modernise its uncrewed systems. In January, the Swedish government announced it would be investing a further SEK4 billion (GBP309.92 million) to purchase new uncrewed systems for the Swedish Armed Forces. The investment covers loitering munitions, ISR drones, and uncrewed vehicles for marine applications, to “strengthen” the warfighting capabilities of its combat units.