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Stockholm is adding long-range firepower to its arsenal.
The Swedish Ministry of Defence confirmed on Monday that the armed forces will procure the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) from Lockheed Martin in a deal valued at almost €630 million, with first deliveries expected in 2027, funded through the military’s regular investment plan.
Specifically, the agreement is for ten HIMARS systems and ammunition, as it fills a gap in Sweden’s military, with the ministry describing the deal as an “opportune purchase”.
Rocket artillery reaches considerably further than conventional guns and is designed for precision strikes at distance, complementing Sweden’s existing Archer artillery and grenade launchers rather than replacing them.
It also allows Swedish forces to cover far larger areas than current equipment permits, and is compatible with systems used by NATO allies.
The purchase forms part of Sweden’s total defence bill for 2025 to 2030, the spending framework adopted as the country integrates into the alliance it recently joined, and at a time when European countries across the board are increasing investments in defence.
A shared system with Finland
Alongside the procurement, Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson and his Finnish counterpart Antti Häkkänen signed a joint declaration covering cooperation and coordination on rocket artillery.
The arrangement spans training, education, capability development, maintenance, security of supply and joint production, as the logic is technical as much as political.
Finland already operates the Multiple Launch Rocket System, which uses the same munitions and components as HIMARS, meaning the two neighbours can pool stockpiles and maintenance rather than duplicating them.
“The introduction of rocket artillery clearly demonstrates that Sweden is taking responsibility for security in Europe,” Jonson said, adding that “together, we [Sweden and Finland] are developing important capabilities for NATO’s collective defence.”
Something for Swedish-owned Saab too
The deal has an industrial dimension that keeps some value in Sweden.
Lockheed Martin and Swedish defence group Saab are signing their own declaration covering the possible integration of Saab’s Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb with HIMARS, and the production of munitions for both HIMARS and other systems including the Patriot air defence platform.
That matters beyond this contract.
European governments have been buying American weapons while facing domestic pressure to build up their own industrial base, and munitions production in particular has become a bottleneck across the continent since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.