Saab launches Bolide 2: Saab has unveiled Bolide 2, a new missile for the RBS 70 NG short-range air defence system. Saab says the new round keeps the old unjammable laser guidance, but it also gets a bigger warhead and better flight performance near the end of its path. The company says deliveries will begin in 2027, and Bolide 2 will become the standard ammunition for RBS 70 NG. Calibre Defence also reported that Saab said Bolide 2 already has customers.
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What Changed in the Missile
The new version is not a full makeover. It is more like a hard sharpened upgrade. Calibre Defence reported that Bolide 2 adds an inertial navigation unit, which helps it work better at high altitude and against small targets.
The original Bolide keeps its 9 km range and 5 km altitude, and Saab’s RBS 70 NG page lists the system’s effective range as over 9,000 m and altitude coverage as 0 to 5,000 m. Calibre Defence also said the higher altitude could help against drones like the Orlan-10, but that would likely need radar or another outside sensor to spot the target first.
Bigger Warhead, Denser Hit
Calibre Defence said the warhead now carries 50% more explosive mass and makes 40% more fragmentation. The spread area stays the same, so the blast pattern becomes tighter and more packed. The article also said the new warhead sits inside an aluminium shell instead of steel, so the missile stays the same weight as before. The old copper shaped charge has also been replaced with aluminium.
A Saab representative said the copper cone was over-penetrating, while the aluminium cone gives better pressure on the target and still gives the right kind of penetration. Extra laser-based proximity fuze sensors have also been added around the nose, which should help the missile spot a threat and detonate at the right time.
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What Saab Said About The New Round
Mats-Olof Rydberg, Saab’s head of Ground-Based Air Defence, summed up the upgrade in plain words. “The original Bolide could engage a DJI Mavic,” he said. “But Bolide 2 could do it even easier,” he added. He also said, “Development started 4.5 years ago and has been completed on time and in budget,” Rydberg continued.
Saab also said the missile can be fired from the latest RBS 70 NG or earlier versions, and that test firings have already been carried out. Because RBS 70 is a passive system, it can fire without using radar, which makes it harder for an enemy to detect early. That gives it a useful “pop-up threat” role against helicopters, low-flying aircraft, and even cruise missiles.
