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Sweden and Denmark Buy $250M Air Defense Systems for Ukraine to Counter Russian Drones
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Sweden and Denmark have agreed to jointly procure air defense systems for Ukraine worth a total of $250 million, the two countries’ defense ministers announced at a joint press conference, according to SVT on February 3.
The systems are expected to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to protect critical infrastructure from drone attacks, as Russia has continued to carry out air strikes targeting energy and heating facilities throughout the winter.
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“Tridon is a modern concept that meets the needs of Ukraine’s air defense, as well as Sweden’s,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said at the press conference.
He stressed that bolstering Ukraine’s air defenses and the resilience of Ukrainian society is absolutely necessary, speaking alongside Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
Under the agreement, Sweden and Denmark will place a joint order for Tridon Mk2 air defense systems developed by BAE Systems. According to Jonson, the development of the system was carried out at record speed.
“It can shoot down drones, cruise missiles, and even helicopters. This is a capability Ukraine needs, given the fact that Russian long-range combat operations are now very intense across Ukraine,” Jonson said.
The systems will be delivered directly to Ukraine and specifically adapted to counter drones and other short-range aerial threats. The allocated funding is expected to be sufficient to equip an air defense battalion of up to 1,000 personnel.
The systems are already being manufactured and are expected to be delivered to Ukraine within a few months of the order. Under the support package, Sweden will contribute roughly $200 million, while Denmark will provide about $50 million.
Ukraine continues to grapple with a critical shortage of interceptor missiles for its air defense systems, a situation that has at times left some launchers without ammunition as Russian attacks loom.
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The issue was highlighted by Yurii Ihnat, head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, who said the problem has been repeatedly raised at the highest political level, including by the president, in appeals to international partners.
Ihnat said Ukraine has repeatedly warned that some air defense systems are at times left without missiles even as new attacks approach, a concern the president has also consistently raised with international partners. He noted that in one recent case, additional weapons were delivered just a day before a major Russian strike, allowing the Defense Forces to repel the attack effectively using missiles for F-16s, NASAMS, IRIS-T, and Patriot systems.
Earlier, it was reported that Ukraine’s energy sector is set to receive up to $40 million in extra grant support from the World Bank to aid recovery and repair efforts, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said on X after speaking with Anna Bjerde, the World Bank Group’s Managing Director of Operations.
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-95b3242cef731a993e3791fd1866f743.jpg "Russian Shahed Drone Attacks Suspilne Crew Reporting on Strike on Miners in Dnipropetrovsk Region")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")