14 September 2022

Swedish Navy trialling unmanned vessels in Baltic Sea demo

by Olivia Savage

Saab's Enforcer III (pictured) is a test platform for the development of autonomous functions. (Saab)

The Royal Swedish Navy (RSwN) has been trialling a range of unmanned vessels in the Baltic Sea to investigate how autonomous platforms can fit in with their existing operations, the Swedish Armed Forces announced on 7 September.

Saab's Enforcer III – a converted Combat Boat 90 that can be remotely operated – was involved in a southern Baltic Sea trial with the RSwN. The vessel is equipped with navigation and communication systems, sensors, cameras, and lasers for navigation, Saab said in a separate announcement.

The Swedish Armed Forces informed Janes that the Third Naval Warfare flotilla of the RSwN was involved in the demonstration. Although they were unable to provide further details regarding the trial at the time of publication, they noted that the trials were conducted recently.

According to the announcement, HMS Nyköping Visby-class stealth corvette was practising air defence and surface combat, while the Enforcer was engaged in advanced reconnaissance. During the trial, the Enforcer was able to detect targets and transmit the information to Saab personnel on Nyköping , the company detailed. Jens-Olof Lindh, project manager for Saab, added that the Enforcer was able to detect targets beyond the typical detection range of the corvette.

Viktor Tornerhjelm, the commanding officer of Nyköping , noted that, by using the Enforcer for advanced reconnaissance, the corvette was able to be more withdrawn from the battlefield environment and be radar silent, making it more challenging for an adversary to detect the ship.

The Royal Swedish Navy (RSwN) has been trialling a range of unmanned vessels in the Baltic Sea to in...

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