Sweden To Provide RBS-17 (Robotsystem 17) Short-range Anti-ship Missiles to Ukraine

In late February, Sweden broke its doctrine of not sending weapons to countries in active conflict for the first time since 1939. Sweden, along with neighboring Finland, in May overturned decades of military non-alignment by submitting historic joint applications to join NATO, as support for membership soared in both countries after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Swedish government on Thursday announced additional aid of one billion kronor ($102 million) to Ukraine, consisting of both financial aid and military equipment.

The military equipment consists of Sweden’s anti-ship missile system RBS-17 (Robot 17) or HSDS (HELLFIRE Shore Defense System). which is a modified version of the US Hellfire missile system, as well as 5,000 AT4 light anti-tank launchers, a quantity of as Barrett M82 (known as the AG90 in Swedish service) 12.7mm anti-materiel rifles and ammunition. The Swedish ministers stated that the RBS-17 missiles were a special request from the Ukrainian government. RBS-17 will not be the first missile system to be transferred, As previously reported, the U.K. has also provided Brimstone guided missiles that were already in use, among other weapons.

The RBS 17 (Robotsystem 17) is a Swedish variation of the AGM-114C Hellfire air-to-surface missile. It has been adapted for Anti-ship role and can be launched from Naval vessels or a ground firing post. RBS-17 used by units of the Swedish Amphibious Brigade to make it difficult for the enemy to penetrate ships or ports in the Swedish archipelago. The missiles can be used efficiently against enemy surface targets in an amphibious assault. RBS-17 missiles can fill the gap to engage the enemy at point-blank range, since Harpoon and Neptune missiles cannot engage a ship at such close range due to “minimum range” limitations.

The AGM-114 Hellfire (AGM stands for air-to-ground missile) is an air-to-surface missile (ASM) first developed for anti-armor use, but later models were developed for precision drone strikes against other target types, and have been used in a number of actions aimed to “destroy high-value targets”. It was originally developed under the name Heliborne laser, fire-and-forget missile, which led to the colloquial name “Hellfire” ultimately becoming the missile’s formal name. The Hellfire missile is the primary 100-pound (45 kg) class air-to-ground precision weapon for the armed forces of the United States and many other nations.