Sweden Seeks To Purchase US Patriot Missile Systems In US$1.3B Deal

Sweden announced on Tuesday that it has chosen the Patriot missile defence system manufactured by US defence contractor Raytheon, over Franco-Italian rival Eurosam's SAMP/T missile system, in an estimated one billion-euro deal.

The choice is in line with a 2015 strategy to avoid "the degradation" of regional security, and boost the country's armed forces operational capacity after years of austerity, the Swedish defence ministry said in a statement.

No details of the deal were given by the ministry, but the body in charge of military acquisitions has valued the contract at 10 billion kronor (1 billion euros, US$1.3 billion).

The Swedish government said, “based on this tender and the decision of the Riksdag (the Swedish Parliament) on the proposal to acquire a new medium-range air defense system in the 2018 budget bill, the government will make a final decision on the acquisition during 2018.”

The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) has been authorized to send a Letter of request to the United States, and to enter into negotiations for procurement of the Patriot system.

Sweden hopes to receive the ground-to-air missiles between 2020 and 2025. The longer-range Patriot system will replace the US Hawk missile system employed in Sweden.