Sweden seeks long-range weapons to strike inside Russia

The Swedish military wants long-range cruise missiles that can hit targets deep in other countries; The defense minister says this is a necessary deterrent to match Russia’s own long-range capabilities.

In a report submitted to the government this week, the Swedish Armed Forces said it wanted weapons systems with a range of up to 2,000 km that could hit military installations and critical infrastructure deep behind enemy lines.

“Experience from the war in Ukraine shows that Russia has strongly developed its long-range capabilities with both cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and long-range unmanned aerial vehicles,” Defense Minister Pal Jonson told Reuters.

“We must create a stronger deterrent against this threat.”

The distance between Moscow and Stockholm is approximately 1000 km.

The Swedish air force has ordered Swedish-German Taurus cruise missiles, which have a range of about 500 kilometers, for its Gripen fighter jets, but Jonson said other systems could also be considered.

The report also stated that Russia is expected to increase its military capacity in the next five years, while Sweden should increase its air defense and intelligence capabilities, including unmanned aerial vehicles and spy satellites.