On Friday, April 4, 2025, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV – Försvarets materielverk) under the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Sweden announced that it had signed a contract worth approximately 1 billion SEK with the Dutch company Thales Nederland (part of the French Thales Group) for the delivery of an undisclosed number of Ground Master 200 (GM200) multi-mission radar systems in the compact MM/C (Multi-Mission Compact) variant.
Photo: Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
The order for medium-range radars (medelräckviddig radar, MRR) is part of the Sensorsystem Ny program, under which long-range Thales SMART-L radars in the MM/F (Multi Mission Fixed) variant — with an instrumental range of 2,000 km — were ordered on July 5, 2023 (Sweden ordered Saab Sea Giraffe 1X radars).
The three-dimensional GM200 MM/C radars will replace the outdated two-dimensional PS-871 (Spaningsradar 871) fixed-site surveillance radars, which are reaching the end of their technical service life. It had previously been reported that the PS-871 systems would be retired in 2025, but the delivery of the new radars is scheduled to begin in 2026.
“The medium-range systems will contribute to a strengthened air and maritime situational awareness. They also provide increased mobility, as they are fundamentally mobile systems, which means radar coverage in priority areas can be reinforced more quickly,” said Per Schylström, MRR Project Manager at FMV.
During the execution of the order, FMV placed particular emphasis on timing in order to deliver the required equipment to the Swedish Armed Forces as quickly as possible. A key factor is supply security, which means FMV must mitigate the risks associated with delivery capabilities while also meeting the demand for high overall production capacity.
“This system from Thales is the first MRR contract we are signing,” said Per Schylström (implying there will be further contracts – editor’s note).
The basis for the purchase of the system from Thales is a Letter of Intent (LoI) that has already been signed between Sweden and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The document covers, among other things, the exchange of information and the exploration of possibilities for harmonizing technical requirements and contract conditions for future procurements, the potential standardization of support and system development agreements, as well as opportunities for coordinating and optimizing industrial cooperation.
GM200 MM/C
The GM200 MM/C, operating in the S-band, can detect targets at distances of up to 250 km and altitudes of approximately 24,400 meters, and track them at distances of up to 100 km. The palletized system consists of an extendable mast with a 3D AESA radar antenna based on gallium nitride (GaN) technology. The entire unit can be transported on a truck, deployed for operation within 15 minutes, and has a decryption time of 10 minutes.
Production of the GM200 began in 2010 for an undisclosed export customer. The MM/A variant was also offered to Poland during the MSPO 2017 defense trade fair in Kielce, as part of support for the Air Defense Operational Program and the short-range surface-to-air missile system Narew. So far, Thales has sold over 70 radars of this type. Denmark, Norway, Lithuania, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands have all chosen to procure them.
The Ground Master family of 3D AESA air surveillance radars includes variants designated as GM60, GM200, GM400, GM403, and the latest GM403α (recently ordered by Estonia). These radars were originally developed by Thales Raytheon Systems (TRS) and share about 80% of their components, as they are all based on the SR3D platform.
It is also worth noting that full-sized GM200 MM/A (Multi-Mission All-in-one) radars were delivered to Ukraine under agreements signed on February 1, 2023, and June 7, 2024, as part of a short-range air defense system. Georgia had previously ordered them as well, along with the GM403.
