Nordic military equipment - why is it so good? Top 3 equipment in Sweden, Norway, Finland & Denmark

More in depth look at each country:

Today we're going to look at why the Nordics produce some of the best military equipment and technology in the world. We'll look at a top 3 list of the gear for Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark, and then we'll analyse what makes these nations so prone to creating incredible military technology such as the CV90, NASAMS, Archer SPG, Patria Pasi, Black Hornet Nano Drone, Karl Gustaf Anti Tank Gun, NLAW & some of the most advanced missile ships on the market.

JAS 39e fighter jet (Sweden): This fighter jet is known for its flexibility, being able to operate from even gravel roads. It uses a mixture of electronic interference and a small radar signature to avoid detection.

CV90 infantry fighting vehicle (Sweden/Norway): This IFV is highly regarded for its survivability, having been used in various conflicts without significant losses. It is also known for its comfort features like air conditioning and Bluetooth.

Archer self-propelled howitzer (Sweden): This SPG is praised for its rapid reloading and firing capabilities, as well as its accuracy and ability to fire multiple rounds with different trajectories simultaneously.

NASAMS (Norway): This anti-air system is considered one of the most advanced in the world, capable of shooting down a variety of missiles and aircraft. It is also highly mobile, being mounted on a 4x4 vehicle.

Naval Strike Missile (Norway): This long-range missile is known for its advanced features like surface skimming, obstacle avoidance, and mid-air communication between missiles. It is also highly lethal and difficult to intercept.

Skjold corvette (Norway): This combat vessel is one of the fastest in the world, reaching speeds of up to 70 knots. It is armed with deadly Naval Strike missiles and has advanced technology for its time.

Patria AMV infantry fighting vehicle (Finland): This IFV is known for its reliability and amphibious capabilities. It has been used in various conflicts around the world and is operated by multiple countries.

AMOS mortar system (Finland): This turreted mortar system is highly accurate and can fire 12 rounds per minute. It is also known for its rapid deployment and ability to fire multiple rounds simultaneously.

K54 and K98 howitzers (Finland): These howitzers are well-tested and durable, having been used by the Finnish Army for many years. They are also known for their long range and accuracy.
Hornet Nano drone (Norway): This small and lightweight drone is highly maneuverable and can be used for a variety of missions, including surveillance and reconnaissance.

Rocket-assisted 155 mm shells (Norway): These shells have a longer range than most other 155 mm variants, making them a valuable asset for artillery units.

My top 3 list for each nation as follows.
Sweden: JAS39E, CV90 & Archer SPG.
Norway: NASAMS, JSM/NSM Missile & Skjold Corvette
Finland: Patria Pasi, AMOS/NEMO Mortar Turret & K54/98.
Denmark: there's not much to talk about..

To find my video on the Nordics land armies, you can find the link here:

For the individual nations equipment and manpower, you can find the links to them here:

Any help is greatly appreciated.

All pictures and logos sourced from open sources or with the consent from the owner or rights holder, or with the implicit right of fair use.

00:00 - 00:44 Intro
00:44 - 03:58 Sweden
03:58 - 07:14 Norway
07:14 - 09:32 Finland
09:32 - 10:08 Denmark
10:08 - 12:08 Why so good?
12:08 - 12:34 Outro
3:51 - 4:17 UAVs
4:17 - 5:47 Personnel
5:47 - 6:48 Upsides
6:48 - 8:28 Downsides
8:28 - 8:50 Outro

#army #military #nordics

[MilitaryRated]

It's a week later and after many of you wanted a more in depth video on each country

[P-Mouse]

Danish weapons export really took a hit, when the use of Lego-bricks in warfare got banned by the Geneva-Convention.

[matshjalmarsson]

I think the Swedish submarines deserves a mention

[DropB]

A. All of the Nordics are highly industrialized. B. And more importantly. All of the products that are made, are of the highest quality. Not just the military equipment. And here in Finland it is an honour to make a quality product. So it must be the same in all of Nordic Countries.

[pekkas]

As a Fin im not going to compare or say what should be mentioned or not. Or getting upset or greedy of anything like some commentators here do. Only thing i say is that all of the nordic countries have originally developed all this stuff for their OWN needs and exporting of those are just a nice bonus. Don't give rats ass who is the greatest or any that shait. Only thing im proud of is that nordics are now more united than ever before. We all have same interests and we can and we will share all of these top notch capabilities if (when) the sh*t hits the fan 🫡 🇫🇮🇸🇪🇳🇴🇩🇰

[Red-viez]

You should have put Swedish submarines in the top 3. However the one you had in the top 3 is also worthy winners.

[Tavarisj]

One important detail missed. During Soviet time, Kremlin dictaded Finland`s numbers of soldiers, vehicles, fighter jets and so on.
With a limited number of production everything was focused on quality and innovation, not production volumes. This i was told by Finnish soldiers i met in Lebanon, who gave me a ride on their Sisu APC, a brilliant vehicle they where very proud of

[glacieractivity]

Thank you for this rare overview of Nordic equipment and technology. I think it is valid to compare and look at the combined efforts as the Nordic is a combined European powerhouse by any metrics now.


I would add that Norway and Sweden (and Finland) have some less obvious specialities such as battlefield management and control systems and electronic surveillance and warfare systems. Norway (backed by and on behalf of NATO), Sweden and Finland have in practice run three independent (in theory) surveillance, SIGINT, HUMINT (etc.) both for the air, sea surface, subsurface and land components since the 1950s, and to think about these capacities combined (as they gradually have become over the past decade+) is truly something to ponder long before we think about a combined Nordic air force around 2030 of some 143 F-35 and 60 Gripen E. That is not a small joint fighting airforce outside superpowers. Combine the air surveillance aircraft, transporters, electronic warfare aircraft, and air tankers on hand combined...

In addition, some little-known companies provide some very secret stuff, especially for the naval sector. In Norway, this includes highly sensitive side-scanning sonars, multi-beam sonars, omnidirectional sonars, subsurface High Precision Acoustic Positioning (HiPAP) systems, doppler systems, towed arrays and the design of extremely quiet hulls and propellers for surface vessels and submarines. (None of this is peculiar since getting offshore data and mapping sub-seafloor hydrocarbons, having passive sonar systems good enough to count the number of herring, cod and other fish swimming in schools (really!) or even mapping the biomass of zooplankton in the open ocean in the civilian world obviously have cross-over potential to track "other stuff" with minimal "disturbance").

This is overlaid by Swedish/Norwegian (often co-developed) distributed sensor-fusion systems with integrated targeting/launch systems being alive and kicking well before the F-35 made the idea a household concept feeding back to battlefield management systems on what to launch (from where) against different objects through some pretty solid encryption solutions (Think: What is going inside the JAS Gripen, F-35s, our Frigates, Corvettes, Missile Boats, NASAAMS, submarines or inside the CV90s, Leopards, Patrias, AMOS or from small "Jæger-teams" with their mark 1 stereoscopic eyeball and interesting "i-pads" (etc) to ensure shared information from all the sensors on "everything, everywhere, all at once". This was always a Nordic strength before we recently started using the same com-protocols and link systems.

In a way, these things are as "interesting" as the things going "boom".

It is certainly correct to point out Sweden and Finland's "space/com tech". This is an area where awesome developments have been made, something neither Norway nor Denmark needed to bother with as much in R&D, being nested into the common NATO systems for the past 75 years - and this underscores the future after Finland and Sweden joined: National strengths are often highly complementary between the Nordics due to our allied/non-aligned history. There has been much ongoing soft transition over the past 2+ decades Finland and Sweden got NATO systems like link-16 etc. Norway and Finland have now co-owned NAMMO for over 2 decades, doing things like developing the nextgen ram-jet assisted 155mm artillery precision shell with 150 km range. Kongsberg, SAAB/Bofors etc have cooperated for as long on R&D. Finland and Norway are setting up a common service and maintenance system for the new artillery (together with Poland), and a new production, maintenance and service centre for the Leopard 2 (used by us all) is being set up. This year, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway will adopt the new combat uniform, with the national camouflage patterns, shape of distinctions and the flag colours on the shoulder are the only differentiating items that separate us.

This leads me to name two ships that even "Norwegians with interest" might not be fully aware of: "Marjata" (IV) and "Eger". By looking at them, you instantly recognize that both ships must have superior satellite TV reception or ....they are listening to and communicating with something/someone else while hanging out in the Barents Sea/Norwegian Sea/Greenland Sea/the GIUK-N gap in the North Atlantic.

A lot of these things I mentioned are obviously fortes that might not pop up on export sheets. Nonetheless, these combined and supplementary Nordic abilities are of no less strategic and tactical value to our region and to the alliance as a whole. The 360-degree situational awareness has certainly not gone down around Fennoscandia with the Nordics being united under a defensive umbrella.

[MatteV]

As a Swede, I'm excited to see further cooperation between the Fenno-Scandian cousins in Military endeavours. Seeing as we all now share a common uniform (cut, but not camouflage pattern), and Sweden/Finland also placing orders for a common suite of infantry weapons in the Sako M23 and TRG rifle families, with replacements for Medium Machine Guns, Anti materiel rifles, and grenade launchers still being decided on.

[Mosern]

No wonder I've not heard of any Danish military equipment, while Swedish stuff is praised all over the place.

[jurgen]

For Sweden three top military equipment I would include the stealth Visby Corvette, the stealth Gotland submarine and also improved MBT 122 from Leopard 2 chassis!
All three top of the line in their respective fields! The one you choose are equally good!

[tsuhna]

All of the Nordic countries have their own specialty to bring to the table. And that's exactly what makes us a force to be reckoned, especially now that we're all officially allied, for the first time in written history by the way. The Nordics are an alliance within the alliance. An alliance that already kinda was, but now it's become official.
Don't fuck with with us.

[ThisGuyAd.]

What's so impressive about just Sweden alone is its consistently excellent quality across all of its systems 👏👏👏

[henriklykkejensen]

You forgot that Denmark is a co-producer of F-16.
"The F-16 was built under an unusual agreement creating a consortium between the United States and four NATO countries: Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. These countries jointly produced with the United States an initial 348 F-16s for their air forces."

[SuperKamaki]

PERKELE!
You forgot Surströmming and Säkkijärven polkka.

[miranda]

Good video, showing what these small Nordic Countries have accomplished and they have even more such as the Gotland submarine, another world class system

[layseebalsam]

If war brakes out, Finland will be responsible for the army as they have sisu, Sweden will be handling the air force as they have Gripen, and Norway will take care of the naval forces. Denmark will take care of diplomacy; they are jovial and after a "lille en" everybody will be friends.

[yoda]

For Finland I would also have put the .338 Lapua Magnum, even for the honorable mentions, since its widely used and it also scored the longest sniper kill in the world (Which has been since broken)

[Bergtrolfer]

Norway here, a shared border to NewSoviet is quite a motivation.

[HenrikRewes]

Very nice roundup. In the case of Denmark consider Sitaware which is probably the worlds most widespread software to create real time situational awareness in large military organisations used by over 50 countries including the US, Great Britain and Germany. Another contender is the Heidrun UAV from Sky-Watch has proved to be extremely robust in the Ukraine war being able to penetrate undetected into enemy territory and gather real time intelligence.