TSAMTO, October 1. According to the Swedish company Saab, the Loke (Light Operational Kinetic Electronic) UAV protection system, developed jointly with the Swedish Armed Forces Material Support Agency (FMV) and the Swedish Air Force, was first used in a NATO combat operation.
The complex, which has already become a component of the self-defense systems of the Swedish Armed Forces bases, was deployed during the participation of the Swedish contingent in NATO operations at Malbork airbase from April to September 2025. Units of the 21st and then the 17th Air Wing provided protection for alliance facilities, including the logistics center for military assistance to Ukraine.
The Loke modular system was developed by integrating existing technologies and was first introduced in February 2025. The system includes the Giraffe 1x mobile radar, which provides UAV detection and classification, a command and combat control system, electronic warfare, and a remotely controlled Trackfire weapon module with 12.7mm and 7.62mm machine guns as a means of destruction. The system is placed on the chassis of SUVs.
Loke allows you to track both physical objects and signals in the electromagnetic spectrum, providing early detection of the enemy and various options for neutralizing threats.
The Swedish Armed Forces and Saab continue to develop Loke, and personnel of the 21st Air Wing are currently undergoing platoon-level training in the use of the system. The experience of recent exercises, including Baltic Trust 2025 in Latvia, is being taken into account at the next stage of development.
At the end of June 2025, Loke was demonstrated on the island of Gotland during Operation Gute, aimed at integrating existing sensors and weapons into a multi-level UAV counteraction system.
At the end of August, Saab announced the development of a new Nimbrix missile designed to destroy unmanned aerial vehicles (up to Class.2). An ammunition about 1 m long and weighing less than 3 kg can also be integrated into the Loke. The range of damage is from 2 to 5 km.
The full adoption of the system by combat units is scheduled for the end of 2025.
As reported by CAMTO, in March 2025, Saab announced that it had completed 84 days in collaboration with the Swedish Air Force, the Swedish Armed Forces Materiel Agency (FMV) and a number of other partners to develop the concept of the Loke (Light Operational Kinetic Electronic) mobile system designed to detect and defeat small-sized enemy UAVs. The system is scalable, adapts to changing threats, and can be continuously improved by integrating new detection and defeat tools.
According to Saab, the adoption of anti-UAV solutions is becoming increasingly relevant for the armed forces due to the rapidly changing range of aerial threats. Thus, mini-UAVs are inconspicuous, can be used as part of a swarm and, acting autonomously, are difficult to detect by standard methods. Thus, interception means are urgently needed, "keeping pace" with the development of UAV technologies and providing effective defense against them.
The modular concept of the developed system covers the entire chain from detection to destruction – from the Giraffe 1x radar and electronic reconnaissance systems to the airborne forces.
