Sweden Orders Four Bofors 57Mk3 Naval Guns With Programmable Rounds Against Drones and Missiles

Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has awarded BAE Systems Bofors a contract for four Bofors 57Mk3 naval gun systems and a supply of Bofors 57mm 3P (Pre-fragmented, Programmable, Proximity-fused) ammunition, the company announced on October 21, 2026. Deliveries are scheduled for 2028 and 2029, and the package includes training and services to bring the guns into operation. Neither FMV nor BAE Systems has disclosed the contract value or the quantity of 3P rounds ordered.

The award comes as the Swedish Navy, a NATO force since March 2024, rebuilds its surface fleet around air and drone defense in the Baltic Sea. According to FMV, the new guns will replace systems currently installed on some existing navy vessels, though the agency has not named the hulls involved. Sweden already operates Bofors 57mm guns aboard five Visby-class corvettes, two Gävle-class corvettes and two Stockholm-class patrol vessels, and the 57Mk3 is part of the planned armament for the four Luleå-class frigates on order. The current contract has not been linked to the frigate program.

Bofors 57Mk3 Firepower: Rate of Fire, Range, and 3P Fuzing

BAE Systems describes the Bofors 57Mk3 as a multirole naval gun built for air defense, anti-surface warfare and naval fire support. Publicly available specifications indicate a 57mm L/70 barrel firing up to 220 rounds per minute, a maximum range of about 17 kilometers, and roughly 120 rounds held ready in the gunhouse. The Visby-class installations use a low-signature turret that conceals the barrel when stowed, keeping the gun consistent with the corvettes’ reduced radar cross-section.

The 3P round is what turns that rate of fire into a counter-drone and anti-missile capability. According to BAE Systems, each round offers six programmable function modes that can be set for any aerial, surface or shore target, with the fuze programmed from the fire control system immediately before firing. A single magazine can therefore shift from a one-way attack drone to a fast attack craft without swapping ammunition.

The company says the gun and 3P combination can engage drones, aircraft, missiles and surface targets, and markets the round as a cost-effective counter-UAS solution against small and medium drones.

“This contract reinforces our long-standing role as a trusted partner to the Swedish armed forces and FMV, and our commitment to supporting the Swedish Navy with world-class capability,” said Stefan Löfström, marketing and sales director at BAE Systems Bofors.

Where the Bofors 57Mk3 Fits in Sweden’s Naval Recapitalization

The Visby class is entering a mid-life upgrade, with refits starting in 2026, that adds MBDA’s Sea Ceptor air defense system with CAMM missiles. The larger step is the Luleå class: Sweden selected Naval Group’s FDI (Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention) design in May 2026, signed a four-ship contract on August 31, 2026, and cut steel for the first hull at Lorient on October 1, 2026. HMS Luleå is due for delivery by the end of 2030, followed by HMS Norrköping in 2032, HMS Trelleborg in 2033 and HMS Halmstad in 2034.

The frigates will pair French construction with a largely Swedish weapons fit: Saab RBS15 Mk3 anti-ship missiles, 400mm Tp47 lightweight torpedoes, Saab Trackfire remote weapon stations, and Bofors 57Mk3 and 40Mk4 guns, with MBDA Aster 30 and CAMM-ER missiles for air defense. That fit will extend the 57Mk3 beyond the classes already operating it.

Sweden has also coordinated 57mm ammunition purchases with Finland, whose navy operates Bofors 57mm guns and is fitting them to its Pohjanmaa-class corvettes. In December 2025, FMV and the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command placed a combined order with BAE Systems worth about $171 million for Bofors 40mm and 57mm 3P ammunition.

Analysis: The contract is modest in volume, but it reinforces a deliberate choice: one 57mm caliber and one programmable round across corvettes, patrol vessels and future frigates. For a navy whose likely fight is in the confined, drone-saturated waters of the Baltic, that standardization simplifies training, maintenance and ammunition logistics, and it aligns Sweden with Finland and with allied navies fielding the same gun, including the US Navy, which operates it as the Mk 110 on its Littoral Combat Ships. Gun-based layers will not replace Aster or CAMM-ER, but they preserve those scarce interceptors for the threats that justify them.

Several questions remain open. FMV has yet to identify which vessels will receive the four guns, the contract value and 3P quantity remain undisclosed, and it is unclear whether guns for the Luleå class will be procured under a separate order. The next visible milestone is the start of deliveries in 2028, two years before HMS Luleå is due to join the fleet.