Saab to implement air-defence upgrade for Visby corvettes

The RSwN's Visby-class corvettes are to be fitted with the Sea Ceptor local area anti-air missile system. Space for a vertical launcher installation for CAMMs already exists in the weapon deck area beneath the main deck hatch. (MBDA)

Saab has been contracted by Sweden's Defence Material Administration (Försvarets materielverk: FMV) to equip the Royal Swedish Navy's (RSwN's) Visby-class corvettes with MBDA UK's Sea Ceptor local area anti-air guided weapon system.

Announced on 28 May, the SEK1.6 billion (USD168.2 million) contract covers the retrofit of Sea Ceptor to all five Visby-class vessels. Saab's Kockums business – as main contractor – plans to begin the first upgrade in early 2026 at its Karlskrona shipyard in southern Sweden.

Originally developed by MBDA UK to meet the UK Royal Navy's future local area air-defence requirement, Sea Ceptor is designed to protect the host ship and vessels in consort from a range of air threats, including anti-ship cruise missiles and fighter ground attack aircraft. MBDA UK's Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM), as effector for the Sea Ceptor system, employs active radar homing (supported by mid-course guidance updates) to deliver an all-weather engagement capability against targets out to a range of 25 km.

According to FMV, Saab Kockums will perform installation and integration work in close co-operation with MBDA UK and Lockheed Martin as ship equipment suppliers; FMV has previously placed an order with MBDA UK for CAMM munitions.

MBDA's scope of supply for Sea Ceptor includes the command-and-control main processing unit; system control equipment; a launch management system; and platform datalink terminals (providing for two-way communications between the ship and outbound CAMMs). Lockheed Martin will provide Extensible Launching System (ExLS) vertical launcher modules, which will be fitted amidships in the Visby-class vessels.