Sweden's land digitisation programme ramps up, C2 application evolving

A Swedish armoured battalion prepares for an LSS Mark C2 system test. (Försvarets Materielverk)

Sweden wants operational effect quickly for its new command and communication system for its land forces, with radios procured and a command-and-control (C2) system under development, Janes has learnt.

Like several other NATO countries, Sweden is in the middle of a comprehensive programme to digitise its land forces' command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) system. Although first envisaged in 2015, the programme has undergone significant alterations since to reflect changes in the European security environment and Sweden's accession to NATO.

Speaking at the SAE Media Group's Mobile Deployable Communications conference held in London on 28 and 29 January, Dean Fowler, head of command and information systems land at the Försvarets Materielverk (FMV), Sweden's defence procurement organisation, said that the programme – called Command Support System Ground (Ledningsstödsystem Mark: LSS Mark) – will replace all the radios and C2 systems within the ground components of all the Swedish Armed Forces (SwAF). This includes elements of the Swedish Air Force, Home Guard, and marines.

Fowler said that the biggest challenge was the expansion of the army in response to the security situation, with a change from a smaller force designed for international operations to a large force focused on the defence of Sweden and its neighbouring countries as part of NATO. As a result the requirement for platform installations had expanded from hundreds to thousands and this was compounded by the concurrent introduction of new technology.