On site: Here the Swedish Armed Forces fire sharply with Patriot in Crete

The unmanned target aircraft is first seen on the screens - then the air fills with smoke when the robot is fired from the lava that was shipped to Greece from Lv6 in Halmstad.

- It was a hit on the target, says Sofia Westermark, regiment commander at Lv6 in Halmstad.

"is a requirement"

The sharpshooting took place together with German units in Crete, where Europe's only Patriot firing range is located. The two robots of the GEM-T type that were sent across the Aegean Sea have, according to information to SVT, cost over SEK 40 million each.

- It is a requirement both nationally and within the framework of NATO that we must validate the units in this way, that we have the ability to deliver, says Deputy Chief of Army Staff Per Nilsson.

The armed forces describe the exercise as an important last step before the operation in eastern Poland starting in December, when a strategic military base will be guarded by the same Swedish unit.

- This shows that we are ready to defend Sweden and our allies in NATO, says Sofia Westermark.

Global shortage of robots

The sharp shooting in Crete takes place while the discussion about Europe's air defense is growing stronger. At the same time that Ukraine has a great need for more qualified anti-aircraft robots for Patriot, it is also clear that stocks globally are down to low levels after the US war in the Middle East where a lot of Patriot robots were used.

- We need to constantly monitor our stock levels on this part, it is difficult to describe a degree of how bad it is, but we need to continue to develop on this point both quantitatively and qualitatively, says Air Force Chief Jonas Wikman.