According to information published by the Swedish MoD on September 15, 2022, on the west coast, mine-clearance ships practised and cleared live mines from the Second World War. At the same time, corvettes were at sea in the southern Baltic, practising air defence and surface combat. In both activities, unmanned systems were tested to see what that technology could do.
Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link
Saab's Enforcer III Unmanned Surface Vessel (Picture source: Swedish MoD)
It looks like an ordinary battleship, with an extra mast, and is a project that Saab has been working on for some years. Jens-Olof Lindh is the project manager for the boat, which goes by the name Enforcer 3.
Enforcer is a converted combat boat that we have fitted with systems to make it self-propelled and has sensors such as a camera and radar to detect other ships and aircraft.
For safety reasons, there is a crew on board during the tests, but the ship is controlled from the corvette HMS Nyköping. Targets detected by the Enforcer are passed on to Saab personnel on the corvette, who in turn pass them on to the ship.
The corvettes' focus for the week was on surface combat and, together with air and land-based sea-borne missiles, finding and engaging targets. Jointly building the situational picture, what is at sea, is one of the cornerstones.
Mine clearance vessels on the west coast are also evaluating the technology. Here, an unmanned underwater vehicle is being used to search for mines in a narrow path towards a harbour. The vehicle is not part of the Swedish Armed Forces' existing system, but is being tested as part of a military exercise.
By seeing what is available on the civilian market, the Swedish Armed Forces can write more relevant requirements specifications while shortening the time until the system is in operation on units.
