Saab has received an order from the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence (MoD) for deliveries of Saab’s Mobile Short Range Air Defence (MSHORAD) solution. The order value is approximately SEK 1.3 billion and deliveries will take place 2025-2027. The recent order is placed within a framework agreement between Saab, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Lithuanian MoD which allows Lithuania to place orders for Saab’s mobile short-range air defence missile solution RBS 70 NG (Robotsystem 70 Next Generation). MSHORAD is Saab’s mobile air defence solution. The system consists of the Mobile Radar Unit based on the Giraffe 1X radar, the Mobile Firing Unit based on the RBS 70 NG, all connected with Saab’s Ground Based Air Defense systems (GBAD) Command and Control (C2).
“MSHORAD is designed to ensure the protection of certain facilities, areas and critical infrastructure. The advantage of this system is mobility, so it is an extremely necessary system that will significantly strengthen the capabilities of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. We are currently using the older generation RBS 70 air defence system and Bolide missiles,” said Lithuania’s Minister of National Defence, Laurynas Kasčiūnas.
“We are proud to continue to support the air defence of Lithuania. MSHORAD is our response to the new threats on the battlefield. Saab’s wide expertise makes us able to deliver everything from radar and firing units as well as our command- and control system; the result is the most modern and capable mobile short-range air defence solution on the market,” says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.
With an effective intercept range of 9 km, the high precision RBS 70 NG RWS, with its multiple missile launcher, ensures coverage from ground level up to an altitude of 5 km, launching unjammable, laser-guided missiles with a high hit probability. The order includes Mobile Firing Units, Mobile Radar Units, a Command- and Control (C2) System, a training package and the RBS 70 NG trainer. Saab will integrate MSHORAD into Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) manufactured by American company Oshkosh before delivery to the customer. The 3D short range Giraffe 1X provides 360º surveillance coverage at a range of 75 km, generating data to a C2 communication system for swift analysis and action coordination.
A partnership between Saab and Oshkosh Defense was announced in June 2022, focused on the fully integrated solution of Saab’s Barracuda Mobile Camouflage System (MCS) onto the JLTV. The aim is to address the growing requirements for mobile air defence and strengthen land users capabilities to meet these current and future challenges. Saab’s industry-leading MFU uses the RBS 70 NG missile system with its unjammable laser guided missiles, which provide threats with little forewarning and even less means for countermeasures. The fully integrated multispectral Barracuda Mobile Camouflage System conceals the vehicle while also allowing the JLTV’s rapid deployment against air-based targets when needed.
