Sweden’s military has for the first time deployed a new counter-unmanned aircraft system (UAS) during a NATO-related mission.
The Loke system was part of a rotation out of Malbork Air Base, Poland, that ran from April through September 2025 and helped protect a logistics hub used to move military aid to Ukraine. The system was developed by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, the Swedish Air Force and defense company Saab. Swedish Air Force units from the 21st Wing and the 17th Wing operated Loke as part of the base protection contribution to Allied operations in Poland.
“The systems we have used have complemented the protection of the base in a very good way, both for us and our Allies,” Swedish Lt. Col. Christian Bertilsson, commander for the Swedish contingent in Poland, said in a Saab news release. “In order for us to be able to operate effectively with our fighter aircraft in the air, good protection is also required on the ground. We need to be the best not only in the air, but also on the ground.”
Loke is a modular counter-UAS package that pairs a three-dimensional radar with a remote weapons station and electronic warfare modules that can detect, track and offer multiple options to defeat small unmanned aerial systems. The radar detects low, slow and small aerial targets and includes a drone tracker function to help differentiate UAVs from birds while reducing false alarms, and the weapons station can be fitted with medium and heavy machine guns or other effectors depending on the mission need.
The deployment is a practical test of a sensor-to-shooter chain that combines existing, matured technologies into a scalable and mobile base-defense capability, Saab said in a news release. Loke’s modular design allows different weapon, sensor and electronic warfare elements to be combined as circumstances require, enabling tailored base defense across allied sites, the company said.
NATO and European nations have increased counter-drone efforts after a series of drone incursions over airports and military sites in the Baltic and Nordic region, and allied planners have emphasized the vulnerability of forward logistics hubs that support Ukraine and other missions. Swedish defense leaders said lessons learned during the Poland deployment and exercises such as Baltic Trust 2025 are being incorporated into further development and training, with a plan to train the 21st Wing to operate Loke at platoon level and to pursue wider implementation across wartime units by the end of 2025.