France and Sweden strengthen armaments cooperation
On 18 June, 2025, the French minister for the armed forces, Sébastien Lecornu, and the Swedish Minister for Defence, Pål Johansson, signed at the Paris Air Show a roadmap aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the field of armaments.
This cooperation is about air surveillance, the anti-tank missile framework, the Meteor missile, medium-range (Aster missile) and short-range air defense, the defence and intervention frigate as a candidate system for the Swedish next-generation surface ship program, innovation, as well as the security of ammunition and explosive supplies.
This roadmap sends a strong signal in favor of building a European defense and is in line with the ties that unite the two countries, particularly through the implementation of shared equipments : NH90 helicopter, Bonus shell, AT4F2 rocket, BVS10 vehicle.
It already yields concrete results with the signing, during the Paris Air Show, of a contract concerning the acquisition of Akeron MP MBDA missiles as well as a letter of intent concerning the GlobalEye system from Saab.
It enables the construction of new balanced industrial agreements that will meet the capacity needs determined by the two countries.
The Akeron MP missile from MBDA allows the neutralization of targets (latest generation of armoured vehicles, light boats or infrastructures), day and night, up to a distance of at least four kilometers, whether they are static or mobile. This “combat proven” missile is versatile thanks to its multi-effect warhead. It also guarantees metric precision.
The Saab GlobalEye system represents a new airborne capability for surveillance, air traffic control and command and control (C2) of air operations. It is capable of operating in a degraded/contested environment, in a multinational and inter-allied framework. It allows for a very rapid response to the operational needs of the Air and Space Force without causing a capability gap.
Photo courtesy Saab
