The system was used between April and September 2025 at Malbork Air Base in Poland, where Swedish units from 21th Wing and later 17th Wing supported the protection of allied facilities. This included safeguarding a key logistics hub for military aid to Ukraine.
“Effective air operations require robust ground protection. The systems we deployed significantly strengthened base security, both for us and our allies” said Lieutenant Colonel Christian Bertilsson, commander of the Swedish contingent in Poland.
First presented in February 2025, Loke combines existing technologies in a modular system. It integrates Saab’s Giraffe 1X mobile radar with a Trackfire Remote Weapon Station armed with heavy and medium machine guns, alongside electronic-warfare components.
The system tracks both physical targets and signals in the electromagnetic spectrum, offering early detection and multiple neutralisation options. “To counter emerging threats, an optimized sensor-to-shooter chain is crucial. We achieved what many thought impossible in record time, including the necessary education and training to support the mission. The fact that our jointly developed counter-drone systems now are operational in the field is clear proof of how effective collaboration between the Armed Forces and the defence industry can and should be.”, said Angelica Persson, Counter-UAS Business Development Analyst at Saab.
The Swedish Armed Forces and Saab are continuing development, with 21th Wing now training to operate Loke as a platoon-level capability. Lessons from recent exercises, including Baltic Trust 2025 in Latvia, are informing the next phase, with full implementation across wartime units planned by the end of 2025.
With Loke, the Swedish Armed Forces, FMV and Saab have demonstrated that rapid, threat-driven development can deliver tangible operational results, turning an idea into a fielded system in record time.
Source: Saab.
