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RBS 70
RBS 70 (Robotsystem 70) is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) designed for anti-aircraft warfare in all climate zones and with little to no support from other forces. Originally designed and manufactured by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence (now Saab Bofors Dynamics, since 2000). It uses the RB 70 missile, which is also in use in a number of other Swedish missile systems.
Before RBS 70 the mainstay of Swedish short range air defence was Robotsystem 69 (American Redeye) and the Swedish Bofors m/48 AAA. 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. This became the first missile system to fully use computer simulated firing, with some 10 000 shots taken during development. 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.
As a side development, the vehicle-mounted all-weather Robotsystem 90 was in service from 1993 to 2004, then mothballed until it was reactivated in 2017.
The RBS 70 is a portable short-range air defense system using laser guided missiles.
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. It functions in arctic, desert, and tropical environments.[citation needed]
In 2003 the "BOLIDE" upgrade system was introduced to the RBS 70. 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.
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.
In 2017, Saab demonstrated a mobile short range air defense (SHORAD) system with three components: Giraffe 1X radar, Command and Control (C2) and RBS 70 NG Remote Weapon Station (RWS). The finalized RBS 70 MSHORAD product was offered to the market in 2022. Sweden and Lithuania were the first countries to order the system, signing the contracts in January 2024 and July 2024 respectively. The Lithuanian variant has the systems mounted on the JLTV vehicles. In July 2025, the Czech Republic placed a €170 million order for 24 vehicles with RBS-70 MSHORAD.
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RBS 70 AI simulator
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RBS 70
RBS 70 (Robotsystem 70) is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) designed for anti-aircraft warfare in all climate zones and with little to no support from other forces. Originally designed and manufactured by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence (now Saab Bofors Dynamics, since 2000). It uses the RB 70 missile, which is also in use in a number of other Swedish missile systems.
Before RBS 70 the mainstay of Swedish short range air defence was Robotsystem 69 (American Redeye) and the Swedish Bofors m/48 AAA. 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. This became the first missile system to fully use computer simulated firing, with some 10 000 shots taken during development. 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.
As a side development, the vehicle-mounted all-weather Robotsystem 90 was in service from 1993 to 2004, then mothballed until it was reactivated in 2017.
The RBS 70 is a portable short-range air defense system using laser guided missiles.
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. It functions in arctic, desert, and tropical environments.[citation needed]
In 2003 the "BOLIDE" upgrade system was introduced to the RBS 70. 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.
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.
In 2017, Saab demonstrated a mobile short range air defense (SHORAD) system with three components: Giraffe 1X radar, Command and Control (C2) and RBS 70 NG Remote Weapon Station (RWS). The finalized RBS 70 MSHORAD product was offered to the market in 2022. Sweden and Lithuania were the first countries to order the system, signing the contracts in January 2024 and July 2024 respectively. The Lithuanian variant has the systems mounted on the JLTV vehicles. In July 2025, the Czech Republic placed a €170 million order for 24 vehicles with RBS-70 MSHORAD.