Sweden and UAE increase defence co-operation with new systems

Armies around the world are focusing on drone and missile attacks as high-intensity war returns

Swedish defence company Saab has also unveiled the DeployNet 5G communications system. Photo: Saab

A new high-tech coastal radar system developed by Swedish defence firm Saab in the UAE says much about how the world is changing.

High-intensity war has returned, with armies re-focusing on systems for fast moving and highly destructive conflicts, motivated by the fallout from the Ukraine war. That involves defending homelands from sophisticated drone and missile attacks that could come not only by air, but by sea.

Militants are learning from global conflicts and increasingly have the arms of major militaries, as seen during the Houthi militia’s blockade of the Red Sea, where the Iran-backed group was equipped with an arsenal of drones and missiles.

Developed by Saab UAE, in cooperation with the Tawazun Industrial Park in Abu Dhabi to support domestic industrial capacity, the Coast Control Radar is a good example of this shift to countering high-intensity threats.

Sweden’s changing priorities, and how they benefit the UAE, were outlined at the Idex 2025 defence expo in Abu Dhabi by the Swedish ambassador to the UAE, Fredrik Floren, and Maj Gen Laura Swaan Wrede.

With the Ukraine conflict, which resulted in Sweden joining Nato last year, the country is back on a war footing, putting to use its decades of experience at defending coastal areas.

“During the Cold War, we were close to Russia and developed the concept of ‘total defence’,” Maj Gen Swaan Wrede said. “And then when the Berlin Wall fell, everyone thought eternal peace would occur around the world and in Europe, and we downsized our armies like the rest of Europe. And then suddenly we're back to square one again with Ukraine.”

She said old lessons are being re-learned, with implications for how Sweden’s allies think about defending themselves from a spectrum of threats.

New dangers

The Sweden-UAE defence partnership is ahead of the curve in facing up to emerging threats. Last year, the UAE took delivery of its fifth GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW) aircraft. That capability puts the UAE ahead of countries such as the UK, which lacks AEW (although Britain is testing new E-7 Wedgetail aircraft).

Sweden’s ambassador to the UAE, Fredrik Floren, and Maj Gen Laura Swaan Wrede at Idex 2025. Photo: Saab

The planes say a lot about the new threat environment. The GlobalEye can track targets with powerful radar from an altitude of more than 500km, including targets on the ground and at sea, picking up drones and other threats long before they are intercepted. That kind of capability might have been redundant in most counterterror operations but increasingly, militant groups possess a range of airborne long-range assets.

Maj Gen Swaan Wrede says Sweden developed these kinds of capabilities, such as the Saab Gripen fighter jet, during decades of high-intensity threats from Soviet Russia.

Another system Saab UAE showcased at Idex is DeployNet, a 5G communications system that can support 10,000 users in remote locations and can be set up in response to natural disasters. It is a classic example of defence technology that has benefited from civilian expertise.

“It's very important for us to work closely with civilian industry, because you save time, you save lives if you work together from the beginning,” Maj Gen Swaan Wrede said. “So when we implement new systems, we need to have industry with us on military exercises. I think that is something people can learn from us.

“You have to involve the whole of society to defend your country, and in Sweden during the Cold War, we sent out advice pamphlets for people living close to power plants. We taught civilians how to take cover in case there were air strikes. And then we forgot about it because, as I said, people thought eternal peace would occur.

“So in the last few years, we have sent out brochures to all civilians in Sweden advising people to be resilient for at least one week. You need to have water, food, medical things for one week so during the mobilisation, you won't be a burden for society.”

The JAS 39 Gripen jet fighter made by Swedish defence contractor Saab, which has formed a joint venture with Tawazun in the UAE. AFP

Mr Floren says the changes that have come with the Ukraine war are still a shock for some Swedes. “What has happened in Europe with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is that it has changed so much: a contravention of the UN Charter, a contravention of European security architecture. And that has made Sweden turn the page on 200 years of non-military alignment. That's a big step,” he told The National.

Maj Gen Swaan Wrede says co-operation with the UAE has produced benefits for both sides. “While Sweden has an old history of being a country with a lot of development in military areas, radar systems, aeroplanes and weapons, we also see benefits the other ways. The UAE is using our systems in an environment that we are not used to. For example, the desert. We're up in the north, so the benefits go both ways,” she says.

She sees military and defence production co-operation with the UAE going from strength to strength. Talks this week with UAE Air Force officials and the commander of the Zayed Military University, to explore educational systems and areas of interest, are “the beginning of something broader than only the technical exchange between our countries”, she said.

“We'll probably be back here for other co-operation, for example, with the cadet school, because we're interested to see how they do the training of their cadets. So we'll bring a lot of things back to Sweden.”