It is hazy and gray on the Rinkaby field when the Air Defense Regiment Lv6 drills its soldiers and conscripts in practicing with the new Patriot air defense system. – We conduct combat against air targets, find opponents in the air and pass on the information so that it can then be taken care of, says Matilda Hansson, conscript at Lv6. The goal is that if Sweden ends up in a war, it should be able to shoot down both enemy planes and robots. Don’t remember seeing it in the war in Ukraine, where Russia’s robot attacks are reaping victims. – Air defense is needed, it is perhaps when we are most successful, when the opponent does not have the ability to behave the way they want in the air arena. Then we have solved part of our task, says Mikael Beck, colonel at Lv6. Preparation for Aurora23 Many soldiers of the Air Defense Regiment have been sent to the USA to be trained in Patriot, which in military Swedish is called air defense system 103. – The entire package included training, support and equipment. Then we build up the capacity together with both international partners and not least the support from the USA, says Mikael Beck. The exercise is in itself a preparation for Aurora23, a large military exercise held in Sweden with over 26,000 people from all parts of the Armed Forces and soldiers from another 14 countries. The exercise is the largest of its kind since the 90s.
t4-general
The defense exercises with Patriot in Skåne – for the first time
