Before RBS 70 the mainstay of Swedish short range air defence was
Robotsystem 69 (American
Redeye) and the Swedish
Bofors m/48AAA. Development of the Rbs 70 to supply the Swedish air defence with a low-cost, easy-to-use and effective short-range SAM system began in 1969 when
Bofors AB was contracted, who decided to use a novel guidance system in the form of a laser-beam riding missile co-developed with
Laser Diode Laboratories. Further studies showed the need of a radar and an
Identification friend or foe-system which were ordered from
LM Ericsson and
Svenska Aktiebolaget Trådlös Telegrafi (SATT) respectively in 1972.[3]
This became the first missile system to fully use computer simulated firing, with some 10 000 shots taken during development.[4] In 1975, the finished system went into series production, and RBS 70 was taken into service in 1977. In 1982, the missile was improved to MK I, while the MK II came in 1990. The fourth generation, the
Mach 2 "BOLIDE" all target missile appeared in 2003 along with improvements of the IFF-system and the ability to add a BORC thermal imager. The auto-tracking RBS 70 Next Generation with an integrated thermal imager came in 2011, now with a range of 9000 metres and 5000 metre height coverage.[5]
As a side development, the vehicle-mounted all-weather Robotsystem 90[6] was in service from 1993 to 2004,[7] then mothballed until it was reactivated in 2017.
Design
The RBS 70 is a Short-range Air Defense (SHORAD)
laser guided missile system.
Mk 1 and Mk 2 followed shortly and are the standard RBS 70 with a range of 5,000–6,000 m and a ceiling of 3,000 m. Currently, RBS 70 is operational in 20 customer countries, on all continents and in arctic, desert, and tropical environments.[citation needed]
In 2003 the "BOLIDE" upgrade system was introduced to the RBS 70.[8] The BOLIDE missile is an RBS 70 Mk 2 upgrade that is faster (Mach 2 vs Mach 1.6), with a range up to 8 km (5.0 mi) and can reach an altitude of 6 km. Deliveries were initiated in 2005.
Latest upgrade
In 2011,
Saab Bofors Dynamics (successor company of Bofors Defence) announced the introduction of the new RBS 70 New Generation (RBS 70 NG). The upgraded version included an improved sighting system automatic target tracking capable of night vision and improved training and after-action review features.[9]
Operational use
In 1990, the
Royal Australian Navy embarked two RBS 70 units and
Australian Army operators on board the fleet replenishment ship
HMAS Success when it deployed to the Persian Gulf in the lead-up to the first Gulf War in Kuwait.
Iran used the RBS 70 system during the
Iran–Iraq War against Iraqi aircraft.[11]
The Australian government has announced the Short Range Ground Based Air Defence in 2017. The plan is to find a replacement for the RBS-70. As of 2019 the
NASAMS is the chosen option. Defence Department has signed a contract with Raytheon Australia. Planned replacement of the RBS-70 is financial year 2022–23.[12]
RBS 70 was supplied to Ukraine by Sweden at the beginning of 2023 during the
Russian invasion. Sweden also provided Ukraine with the
Giraffe 75 short range radar for use with the RBS 70. The
Ukrainian military claims to have used RBS 70 to shoot down Russian cruise missiles and Iranian-made
loitering munitions.[13][14]
On 13 May 2024, the 110th Mechanized Brigade shot down two Russian
Su-25 and one Ka-52 helicopter using a RBS-70.[21][22]
On 29 April 2024, Australian Deputy PM and Defence Minister
Richard Marles announced a $100 million (AUD) aid package for Ukraine. Half of which is for air defence, Minister Marles claimed that “dozens of million dollars” of RBS-70s will be provided to Ukraine. As Australia is retiring RBS-70 in favour of NASAMS. It isn't clear if the "Saab Giraffe" radar is included.[23]
^Lindqvist, Gunnar; Widfeldt, Bo (2003). Rikets flygplanköp — JAS 39 Gripen [The Kingdom's aircraft purchases: JAS 39 Gripen] (in Swedish). Nässjö, Sweden: Air Historic Research. ISBN 91-973892-5-0.
^"SAAB Rbs 70".
Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
^"Giddy over air-defense system". The Baltic Times. Baltic News Service. 17 November 2004.
Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2006.