The Scandinavian country is increasing its army tenfold.
The Swedish government will allocate 1.3 billion kronor (121.5 million euros) for the procurement of military spy satellites. The first of these could be launched as early as this year to monitor Russia.
According to a statement from Defense Minister Paul Jonson, Sweden will acquire about ten military satellites for 1.3 billion kronor. They will be used for surveillance of targets in Russia and for early warning of long-range missile launches and other objects that may pose a threat to Sweden.
In 2024, SpaceX launched the first Swedish military test satellite system GNA-1 into orbit. At that time, it was expected that the operational deployment of the first working military satellites would not begin until at least 2030. Now these plans are being accelerated by four years, and the first Swedish spy satellite will be launched this year.
"The basis for changing our plans is the unstable security situation, including the war in Ukraine. Sweden needs its own intelligence on targets in Russia, and we must be capable of monitoring long-range missiles. We need to know what is happening and what could threaten us. We also need to have enough information to deploy our own longest-range weapons if the worst happens," said Anders Sundeman, commander of the Swedish Armed Forces' space unit.
The size of the Swedish armed forces is small, but a significant increase is planned: as of 2022, there were about 14,600 military personnel, but by 2030, Sweden intends to increase the total number to 115,000 (including professionals and conscripts), driven by changes in the geopolitical situation and the country's accession to NATO, as well as the return of conscription.
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