Irish Army Exercises With Saab RBS 70 NG Air Defence System

The Irish Army conducted a live firing exercise with RBS 70 and the latest generation of the system, RBS 70 NG at the Bofors Test Center in Karlskoga, Sweden recently.

The purpose of the firings were to enhance their soldiers operational capability to engage both aerial and static targets, a Saab release said

During four days, officers, operators and technicians from the Artillery Corps and the Ordnance Corps of the Irish Army visited Saab´s business area Dynamics and fired ten missiles against aerial and static surface targets.

Eight missiles were fired from the RBS 70 system against both target types and two missiles were fired from the latest generation, the RBS 70 NG, also at both target types.

“The firing was a huge success with great results from the operators engaging the targets, both with the RBS 70 and the RBS 70 NG. We are looking forward to more firings together with the customer”, said Görgen Johansson, Senior Vice President and head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.

“The RBS 70 system is a reliable air defence system. Defence Force operators consider it a system which they can rely on no matter the weather conditions or countermeasures”, the Saab press release said quoting Lieutenant colonel Noel Murphy from the Irish Army.

More than 1,600 RBS 70 systems, including more than 18,000 missiles have been procured by 19 countries so far, the release added.