By Johan Ahlander
STOCKHOLM, April 2 (Reuters) - Sweden will buy air defence and anti-drone systems worth 8.7 billion Swedish crowns ($916 million) from among others Saab and BAE Systems, the country's defence minister said on Thursday.
Sweden, like most European countries, is racing to bolster its defences following Russia's invasion of Ukraine with military spending projected to hit 2.8% of GDP in 2026, rising to 3.5% in 2030.
Defence Minister Pal Jonson said the added capability would help broaden Sweden's air defences, which are at present chiefly focused on protecting military units.
"With this, we will be able to better protect population centres, critical infrastructure, such as ports, railway hubs, nuclear power plants or airports," he said.
The package will include an anti-drone system called Gute II, which is a radar-and-cannon system that can be mounted on the ground or on vehicles.
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Jonson added that the systems had been tested on the battlefield in Ukraine and had proved very effective against drones like the Shahed model used by Russia and Iran.
Saab said in a separate statement that their part of the package amounted to 2.6 billion crowns and was for its anti-drone platform designed to detect and neutralise low-flying small- to medium-sized drones.
The total package will also be used for ammunition and vehicles, including infantry mobility vehicles from Finish defence firm Sisu, Jonson said.
Deliveries will take place in 2027 and 2028.
($1 = 9.4946 Swedish crowns)
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Niklas Pollard and Thomas Derpinghaus)