Sweden approves $733 million purchase of US-made HIMARS rocket artillery

PARIS — Sweden has approved the purchase of Lockheed Martin's M142 HIMARS rocket-artillery system for approximately 7 billion Swedish kronor (US$733 million). The government stated that the security situation requires rapidly available capabilities to complement its Archer self-propelled howitzers.

Delivery Timeline and Strategic Rationale

The first deliveries of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System are scheduled for 2027, the Swedish Ministry of Defence announced on Monday. According to the ministry, acquiring the American-produced rocket artillery will enable the Swedish Armed Forces to operate over larger areas and with greater long-range capacity than current artillery systems allow.

"The introduction of rocket artillery clearly demonstrates that Sweden is taking responsibility for security in Europe," said Defense Minister Pål Jonson.

Regional Context

While Estonia expressed concern in April about potential delivery delays for HIMARS ammunition due to the Iran war, the Swedish timeline suggests that such bottlenecks may not affect launcher production.

In January, Sweden's neighbor Norway selected Hanwha to supply its Chunmoo rocket artillery system, preferring the South Korean system over HIMARS due to the availability of longer-range munitions.

Military Leadership Comments

"The fact that we are now procuring HIMARS and gaining long-range precision combat capability on the ground is important not only for the Army but for the Armed Forces as a whole and for our allies," said Swedish Army chief Maj. Gen. Johan Pekkari in a separate statement.

European Market Implications

With Europe currently lacking a domestically produced equivalent to HIMARS, Sweden's purchase of the U.S. system and Norway's acquisition of Chunmoo reduce the commercial space for a French rocket artillery system being developed by MBDA and Safran.

Organizational Plans

The HIMARS systems will be organized into a rocket artillery unit in accordance with plans announced in 2024, Pekkari said. Sweden's defense bill for the 2025-2030 period, published in 2024, outlined plans for a rocket artillery unit alongside two Archer battalions.

Industry Cooperation

Concurrent with the purchase, Lockheed Martin and Saab are signing a joint declaration regarding:

• Potential integration of Saab's Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb
• Production of munitions for HIMARS
• Production for other systems such as the Patriot air-defense system

Sweden-Finland Cooperation

Additionally, Sweden and Finland signed a declaration to cooperate on rocket artillery, including training, security of supply, and production. Finland's Multiple Launch Rocket System uses the same munitions and components as HIMARS, according to the Swedish ministry.

About the Author

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He began his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets, and politics.