At the defense exhibition DSEI in London, one of the most prestigious showcases in the sector, Volvo Defense and the Swedish start-up Nordic Air Defence announced a partnership destined to make headlines: VIPRO is born, a mobile counter-drone system (CUAS – Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System) designed to protect military vehicles from the growing threat of armed and low-cost commercial drones.
The core of the project is the integration of Nordic Air Defence's Kreuger 100XR interceptor on tactical trucks produced by Volvo Defense. The result will be a mobile, modular, and scalable platform capable of quickly reacting to drone incursions, particularly the deadly FPV (first-person view) drones, used with devastating effectiveness in contemporary conflicts.
«VIPRO combines Volvo's engineering excellence with Nordic Air Defence's innovative and agile capability – stated Karl Rosander, co-founder and CEO of Nordic Air Defence –. It is a European solution, designed to address the number one threat of today's and tomorrow's land warfare».
Features of the VIPRO system
The interceptor pod, launchable directly from the vehicle, is presented as a modular capsule, adaptable to different platforms and operational scenarios. The Kreuger 100XR, a lightweight munition guided by advanced software, is designed to neutralize aerial targets quickly and precisely, without requiring complex infrastructures.
The project stands out for three key elements:
- Mobility: ability to move along with logistical columns or combat units.
- Scalability: possibility to install pods on different vehicles and in varying numbers depending on the mission.
- Cost-effectiveness: countering threats that cost a few hundred euros with a sustainable system replicable on a large scale.
«Vehicle protection is not only a military issue but also a matter of resilience for modern societies – emphasized Andreas Svenungsson, president of Volvo Defense –. Collaboration with dynamic start-ups like Nordic Air Defence allows us to accelerate development and offer more flexible solutions».
A concept that reflects the evolution of contemporary warfare: while drones are revolutionizing the battlefield, trucks and transport vehicles remain indispensable for logistics but are increasingly vulnerable to these attacks.
The strategic context
The initiative fits into a framework of increasing attention to the protection of land vehicles. In February 2025, the Försvarets materielverk (FMV), the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration, ordered 775 trucks from Scania and Volvo to support the expansion of the Swedish Armed Forces. A signal that reaffirms the centrality of heavy vehicles in NATO planning and the need to make them safer against new asymmetric threats.
The launch of VIPRO is scheduled for 2026, with the aim of offering a European, agile, and competitive system to protect armed forces and logistical infrastructures in conflict scenarios increasingly characterized by the massive use of drones.
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