BAE Systems has secured a contract worth $180 million from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for the TRIDON Mk2 anti-aircraft system. The TRIDON Mk2 is a truck-mounted 40 mm Bofors 40 Mk4 naval gun that addresses a gap in today’s air defense. The Bofors Mk4 gun has a mass of around 2,300 kg without ammunition; typically, it is fitted with two magazines, containing respectively 30 rounds the primary one and 70 rounds the secondary one, which adds around 250 kg to the aforementioned mass. The system has multi-target capability and can engage a wide range of aerial threats, including drones, cruise missiles and aircraft. Additionally, it can target ground threats such as armored vehicles, providing protection and security for both military forces and civil infrastructure.
“We are more committed than ever to providing our customers with protection from ever-evolving aerial threats,” said Lena Gillström, president of BAE Systems Bofors. “The TRIDON Mk2 has been designed for today’s warfare, and we will continue to deliver cutting-edge solutions to put our customers in the best position to meet future challenges.”
The new system has been developed putting together proved technologies, the Bofors 40 Mk4 gun, the Bofors 3P programmable all-target ammunition, an optronic fire control unit, and a mobility platform, the system being also deployable in a fixed position, for example when used for base protection. The Bofors 3P programmable all-target ammunition, which can be programmed in six different modes: gated proximity mode (air defence), gated proximity mode with impact priority (air defence, large targets), time mode (small fast, manoeuvring surface targets and concealed onshore targets), – impact mode (surface targets), armour piercing mode (armoured surface targets), and finally proximity mode, which is the default mode.
In February, on behalf of Sweden and Denmark, the FMV procured TRIDON Mk2 systems to donate to Ukraine, as part of a package to bolster Ukraine’s air defense capabilities. The financial package is distributed as follows: Sweden will allocate over €182 million, and Denmark will allocate the remaining €44 million. The total funding will enable the entire anti-aircraft battalion to be equipped. The defense ministers of both countries, Paul Jonsson and Troels Lund Poulsen, announced this at a joint press conference. Able to combat multiple threats quickly, TRIDON Mk2 is a high-precision, cost-effective system that is easy to deploy and simple to maintain. Its modular design allows it to adapt to changing needs and to evolve with new technologies.
