Saab unveils low-cost counter-drone swarm missile

Swedish defence firm Saab has introduced Nimbrix, a new missile designed to tackle the escalating threat of drone swarms on the battlefield.

• Purpose: Provides a cost-effective countermeasure against cheap, mass-deployed drones, a tactic seen extensively in Ukraine.
• Design: Fire-and-forget missile with an infrared seeker, 5 km range, and a high-explosive fragmentation warhead that detonates mid-air to hit multiple drones.
• Affordability: Built using off-the-shelf components and streamlined manufacturing to keep costs low.
• Deployment: Can function as a standalone system with its own sensor or integrate with existing air defence networks.
• Timeline: Saab expects to deliver the first units in 2026 and will showcase the system at the DSEI defence exhibition in London this September.

Nimbrix joins a growing range of counter-drone technologies, underscoring how military innovation is racing to keep pace with the proliferation of small, low-cost unmanned aerial systems.