Sweden signs deal for BONUS rounds
Sweden’s armed forces are set to receive more of the advanced BONUS 155mm artillery munitions under a new €53 million ($62 million) contract between the country’s procurement agency Försvarets materielverk (FMV) and BAE Systems Bofors AB, the hartpunkt’s report said.
The agreement, announced this week, provides for the delivery of the specialized anti-armor rounds over several years, reinforcing Sweden’s capability to counter modern armored threats.
The BONUS (BOfors NUtating Shell) system, developed jointly by Sweden’s Bofors—now part of BAE Systems—and France’s Nexter (now KNDS France), has been in service since 2000 with both the Swedish and French armed forces. The system is specifically designed to improve artillery effectiveness against armored formations.
According to FMV, the new procurement aligns with Sweden’s focus on strengthening defensive capabilities in response to heightened security concerns in Europe.
Each BONUS round weighs 45 kg and incorporates a base bleed unit that extends its range to 27 kilometers when fired from an L39 cannon and up to 35 kilometers from an L52 system, such as Sweden’s Archer artillery platform.
The shell contains two sensor-fused submunitions, each weighing 6.5 kg, which are deployed over the target area. As they descend in a corkscrew motion, infrared and laser sensors scan an area of up to 32,000 square meters per submunition. Upon detecting a target such as a main battle tank, the submunition fires an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) designed to strike the vehicle’s weaker top armor.
If no target is identified, the submunitions self-destruct to prevent unexploded ordnance hazards, BAE Systems noted.
The EFP warhead accelerates its projectile to over 2,000 meters per second, using kinetic energy rather than explosive force to penetrate armor. BAE Bofors lists its penetration capability as greater than 100 mm and up to 140 mm of rolled homogeneous armor.
While neither the carrier shell nor the submunitions are guided, the combination of dual submunitions, wide-area scanning sensors, and automated targeting significantly enhances the artillery’s ability to neutralize heavy armor. According to BAE Systems Bofors, this results in a reported probability of hitting more than one target per round.
Importantly, BONUS is not classified as “cluster munitions” under the Oslo Convention due to the design and number of its submunitions.
Sweden joins other nations such as France, Finland, and Norway in fielding BONUS rounds. The system has also been included in arms packages supplied to Ukraine, where it has been employed to counter Russian armored vehicles in the ongoing war.