List of military equipment of Sweden

This is a list of the military equipment of Sweden, including the army, air force and navy.

Army
The Swedish army consists of 30,000 active troops along with 22,988 military reserves and 38,000 militias. Including storaged equipment still operational, the Swedish army possesses: 280 tanks, 212 tank destroyers, around 1,300 APCs, 860 IFVs, 11,300 utility vehicles, 220 towed artillery pieces, and 51 self-propelled artillery pieces. Sweden lacks conventional multiple rocket launchers, but instead relies on fast-moving vehicles equipped with guided anti-tank missiles. Long-range tactical missiles that could normally be launched from MRLs are instead assigned to the air force and navy. The Swedish military as a whole operates several hundred such missiles.

Utility vehicles: 11,308++

Armored personnel carriers: 1,267

Infantry fighting vehicles: 859

Tanks: 280

Towed artillery pieces: 220+

Self-propelled artillery pieces: 51+

Other equipment
It should be noted that Sweden has access to much other equipment provided by the U.N Peacekeeping Forces, though it is only used in peacekeeping operations.

Navy
According to Global Firepower in 2012, Sweden has a total of 387 ships, making it the fourth lagerst naval power in the world after China, North Korea, and the United States, without taking the sizeable coast guard into account. Including coast guard, the Swedish navy has as many as 513 ships, Sweden also possesses highly sophisticated stealth and radar technology. For example, during an exercise outside California, the HMS Gotland managed to penetrate the massive defensive measures of an entire American carrier group, "sinking" the USS Ronald Reagan among other ships. While the Gotland-class still hasn't been surpassed in terms of stealth, Sweden is already working on an improved diesel-electric submarine: the A26. The first out of two A26 submarines will be laid down at the end of 2012.

Corvettes: 11

Minesweepers: 11

Patrol craft: 219

Submarines: 5

Auxiliary vessels: 14

Landing craft: 100

School ships: 11

Coast guard vessels: 142

Total number of ships: 513

Coast Guard ships
The Swedish Coast Guard is a civilian government agency not directly linked to the Swedish navy. The Coast Guard possesses 22 surveillance craft, 12 environmental protection vessels, 2 multirole vessels, 5 hovercraft, 1 large barge and over 100 boats, totalling a force of more than 142 ships that can be deployed for military purposes, although lacking proper armament.

Air force
Due to recent cuts in defensive expenditures, about half of the JAS 39 Gripens will be taken out of active service and put into storage during 2012. As the threat from the Soviet Union is gone, there is no need to maintain a large air force since most possible enemies of Sweden lack the ability to shoot down a Gripen.

Nine JAS 39 Gripens was sent to protect Libyan civilians during the Libyan civil war. No shots were fired by the aircraft, nor were they fired upon.

Between 2007 and 2008, a report from the Riksdag revealed what was called Flygsystem 2020 ("flight system 2020"), or FS 2020, a project to research and develop a fifth generation jet fighter with fully developed stealth capabilities by the year of 2020.

In 2012, it was announced that the Swedish government wishes to upgrade 70 Gripens to the NG/IN model by 2020, equipping them with a new engine, improved fuel capacity, higher payload and upgraded avionics.

Combat aircraft
The total number of combat aircraft and armed trainers in the Swedish air force is currently 217, and will in time be increased to 317-337.

Sources and further reading

 * Home page of the Swedish Armed Forces
 * http://www.globalfirepower.com/
 * http://www.soldf.com/
 * See article links for further information on specific equipment