Sweden Launches Major Multi-Layer Radar Modernisation to Counter Advanced Air, Sea, and Space Threats

The rapid evolution of airborne and space-based threats is pushing modern militaries to rethink their surveillance and early warning architectures. Traditional radar systems designed in the late Cold War era were optimised for detecting conventional aircraft and ballistic missile trajectories, but they are increasingly challenged by a new generation of low-observable drones, cruise missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles, and manoeuvrable satellites. These threats exploit low-altitude flight profiles, high manoeuvrability, and reduced radar cross-sections to penetrate detection networks. At the same time, adversary space capabilities, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and anti-satellite systems, are expanding.

For countries like Sweden—geostrategically positioned in the Baltic region—maintaining situational awareness across air, maritime, and space domains is essential for both national defence and NATO interoperability. This requires an integrated approach combining multiple sensor layers, redundancy across systems, and the ability to share real-time data with allied forces. According to the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) (11 August 2025), Sweden is launching a new high-technology surveillance architecture under the Sensorsystem ny programme, creating a radar network in overlapping technical layers from coastal sensors to systems extending thousands of kilometres into space. The multi-billion-krona investment involves contracts with several suppliers to deliver short-, medium-, long-, and very-long-range radars, complemented by passive sensors.

Coastal surveillance is being enhanced with Terma’s Scanter 5202 radars, improving maritime situational awareness and low-altitude air picture generation, with deliveries beginning in 2025. Mobile medium-range radars—Saab’s Giraffe 4A and Thales’ GM200 MM/C —will provide rapid redeployable coverage in priority areas, entering service from 2026. Long-range detection will be delivered through Lockheed Martin’s TPY-4 radars, already in NATO use, with the capability to track small ballistic missile targets at extended distances, due from 2027.