Sweden has signed a SEK 7 billion ($732 million) contract for Lockheed Martin’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, giving its Army a long-range precision capability it currently lacks. The acquisition covers “just over” ten launchers and a “substantial quantity” of ammunition, but Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson did not provide more precise figures. The first launchers and ammunition are scheduled for delivery in 2027, Breaking Defense reported.
The announcement was made at Ärna Air Base near Uppsala alongside Finnish officials, linking Sweden’s purchase to a broader defense arrangement between the two neighboring countries. Finland will help Sweden establish training and maintenance arrangements because Sweden does not yet operate HIMARS. Lockheed Martin is also establishing what Finland describes as Europe’s first HIMARS maintenance center in Tampere.
Finland’s role extends beyond sustainment. Finland operates Lockheed Martin’s tracked Multiple Launch Rocket System, or MLRS, which uses the same family of munitions as HIMARS. Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said the Swedish-Finnish defense pact will cover maintenance, spare parts and cooperation on ammunition. The shared munitions family gives the two countries a basis for coordinating parts of their rocket-artillery support, although the announcement did not specify the size, cost or schedule of that cooperation.
The Swedish contract is the first contract under a broader arrangement approved by the U.S. government in March, according to the report. Sweden’s announcement did not specify the exact HIMARS configuration, the individual missile types included in the purchase or the number of rounds in the ammunition package. Those limits matter because the stated total of “just over” ten launchers describes only the launcher quantity, while the ammunition portion is characterized in general terms.
Swedish Army Chief Maj. Gen. Johan Pekkari described the system as filling a gap in the Army’s current capabilities. Sweden already has a long-range strike option in its Air Force, which can carry Taurus missiles on Gripen aircraft, but Pekkari said the Army does not currently have an equivalent long-range precision system. HIMARS will add a ground-based option to Sweden’s existing air-launched capability.
The system is also intended to support possible future use of the Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM. Jonson said PrSM has a range of up to 500 kilometers and is capable of striking high-value targets in depth. The purchase announcement did not say that Sweden is acquiring PrSM now, nor did it provide a delivery date, quantity or contract value for that missile. The stated 2027 delivery schedule applies to the HIMARS launchers and ammunition identified in the initial deal.
The procurement is paired with an industrial agreement, but that agreement is not yet a production contract. Lockheed Martin and Saab have signed a letter of intent to explore integrating Saab’s Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb, or GLSDB, with HIMARS. The companies also plan to examine production of munitions for HIMARS and other systems, including Patriot-related systems and PAC-3.
Swedish officials framed the industrial effort as part of a push to expand ammunition production in Europe and Sweden. Jonson said the first steps toward joint production of rocket-artillery ammunition are under way, but initial production will begin at Saab’s factory in Grayling, Michigan. Saab Dynamics chief Görgen Johansson said the company is establishing a production area there and remains open to eventually developing production in Europe. Neither the letter of intent nor the announcement sets a European production date, a production volume or a final division of work between Saab and Lockheed Martin.
The industrial arrangement could address supply security, which Jonson identified as a priority, but the announcement does not establish how much additional ammunition the proposed cooperation would produce. It also does not change the terms of Sweden’s initial HIMARS purchase. The acquisition remains defined by the confirmed launcher delivery plan, the broadly described ammunition quantity and the 2027 first deliveries.
The Finnish maintenance center is intended to support HIMARS users beyond Sweden. Häkkänen said Finland hopes allies purchasing new HIMARS will also use the Tampere facility for sustainment. The center’s announced role does not establish which countries will use it or when it will become fully operational. For Sweden, however, Finland’s existing MLRS fleet and planned HIMARS support infrastructure provide the immediate framework for bringing the new system into service.
The defense chiefs were aware of reports of possible delays affecting some U.S.-made weapons because of the war in the Middle East, including notifications to European countries about potential delays to weapons already purchased. Jonson said those reports did not change his view of the Swedish deal, arguing that industrial cooperation between Saab and Lockheed Martin could help build security of supply. The announcement did not provide a revised delivery risk assessment or a contingency schedule for Sweden’s 2027 deliveries.