Swedish Army selects Bofors 155mm BONUS munition

KARLSKOGA, Sweden — The Swedish Defense and Material Administration has awarded BAE Systems a contract to deliver additional rounds of Bofors 155mm BONUS ammunition to the Swedish Army. Under this contract, the Swedish Army will strengthen its operational capability with the latest version of BONUS, which is developed and produced in cooperation by BAE Systems in Sweden and Nexter in France.

The Swedish Army fires BONUS from BAE Systems-built Archer artillery guns, and the munition is capable of successfully detecting and combating heavily armored vehicles within 35 kilometers. When launched from any 155-millimeter artillery system, the BONUS carrier shell separates to deploy two sensor-fuzed munitions that then search for targets within a given footprint, up to 32,000 square meters. Each of the two expelled munitions independently seeks and neutralizes its own target. Sweden has used this smart munition since 2003.

“Because each BONUS shell carries two smart munitions, its mission success per round is far greater than with traditional ammunition, providing the Swedish Army with clear advantages,” said Lena Gillström, managing director for BAE Systems’ Weapon Systems business in Sweden. “This order is part of a growing interest in BONUS around the globe and indicative of the system’s reliability and success factor.”

Production will take place at BAE Systems’ facility in Karlskoga, Sweden, with significant component deliveries from Nexter. The work will begin immediately, and delivery is scheduled to take place in 2019. In addition to Sweden, several other countries operate BONUS, including Finland, France, and Norway.