The Swedish construction company NCC has been commissioned by the Swedish Fortifications Agency to develop the Villingsberg training ground and firing range in Karlskoga The project is part of efforts to re-establish the Bergslagen Artillery Regiment and includes the construction of new service buildings and infrastructure The order is valued at approximately SEK 300 million and involves the creation of a modern vehicle maintenance and storage area Additional work includes the development of facilities for training and services alongside upgrades to water and wastewater systems Project Manager at the Swedish Fortifications Agency highlighted NCC’s expertise as a key factor in the partnership She emphasised the company’s capability to contribute to the re-establishment of the regiment in line with Sweden’s defence needs welcomed the opportunity to continue working with the Swedish Fortifications Agency He stated that NCC values the ongoing collaboration and looks forward to strengthening Sweden’s total defence through the project Construction work has already begun and will be carried out in phases with final completion expected by the summer of 2026 The order will be registered under the NCC Infrastructure business area in the first quarter of 2025 Cookie Policy Copyright © 2025 Defence Industry Europe | mady by: geekon.eu We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these 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reasons this might happen: please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page We're getting everything ready for you and you'll be on your way in just a few moments Nordic 4 headed to Sweden for round three of the season and its races at Karlskoga ran in conjunction with the Formula Renault 1.6-spec Formula Nordic Track action began on Friday with a test session then a practice session where Jakobsen set a 1m05.661s to be fastest by 0.628 seconds over Magnus Pedersen He set a 1m05.392s to lead Formula 5 racer Mads Hoe and Pedersen by 0.647s with Louis Leaveau a further 0.022s behind in fourth and Sebastian Bach 0.913s off the pace in fifth Daniel Varverud was the top FNordic runner in sixth A massive downpour hit the track before race one in the afternoon and Peder Saltvedt managed to miss his grid slot and slide off the track so his car had to be pulled away before the race could begin while Pedersen and Varverud had cleared Hoe by turn one Hoe was left holding off Marius Kristiansen and Leveau On lap six the trio closed back in on Varverud and Hoe passed him at the start of lap seven Kristiansen and Leveau overtook him a few corners later then Leveau managed to also get ahead of Kristiansen There was a 4.4s gap between the top two and 22s back to third when the safety car appeared on lap nine and Pedersen tried passing Jakobsen around the outside of turn one when racing resumed then slid off into the barriers later in the lap and Albin Stureson was FNordic’s top driver in sixth It was dry on Sunday morning for the reversed-grid race two Alexia Danielsson started on pole but was behind Robin Hafstrom and Leveau by the end of lap one and on lap four Leveau and Jakobsen overtook Hafstrom while Danielsson lost fourth to Kristiansen Pedersen (who started 16th) and Hoe got past Hafstrom as Danielsson sunk even further down the order Hoe’s retirement a lap later did nothing to help her and Jakobsen finally broke Leveau’s defences on lap eight Jakobsen built a 4.616s lead over the remaining 10 laps Kristansen held off multiple attacks from Pedersen for third and Bach finished fifth Hafstrom retired in the pits while running in sixth so F5 winner Mads Kjelde Larsen inherited the position Laerke Ronn Sorensen had to fight his way past Varverud and Stureson to finish seventh when he moved across him at turn one and broke Kristiansen’s front wing and it allowed Hoe (who started 11th) and Pedersen to close in Hoe passed Bach on lap 15 and Kristiansen on his first attempt a lap later with Kristiansen then going off and retiring Pedersen cleared Bach on his first attempt on lap 17 Established in 2011 and previously found at PaddockScout.com Formula Scout is home to regular news and features from the world of junior single-seater racing tracking the progress of future grand prix stars Photo by: Stew MilneHannah McNulty Signs With Rik Karlskoga In Sweden3/8/2022 2:22:00 PM | Women's Soccer McNulty finished her career ranked third all-time in career points You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Cambrex has completed construction of a 600 m2 facility at its Karlskoga The process technology section will accommodate R&D and production teams working together on scale-up demonstrations for highly potent molecules The laboratory also includes high-pressure reaction vessels and crystallization equipment ACS’s Basic Package keeps you connected with C&EN and ACS $80 Regular Members & Society Affiliates ACS’s Standard Package lets you stay up to date with C&EN ACS’s Premium Package gives you full access to C&EN and everything the ACS Community has to offer This article has been sent to the following recipient: Sign up for C&EN's must-read weekly newsletter Copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society We continue to strengthen our presence in key markets develop innovative solutions and acquire companies in prioritised areas Saab's products are sold to over 100 countries and we currently operates in over 30 countries The new city of Karlskoga was born on a cold New Year’s night in 1940 – when it was the largest town in Sweden in terms of its area The growth of Bofors as a defence industry was the engine behind its rapid development It can be said without exaggeration that it was the company that created the city This gave rise to the saying: “What’s good for Bofors Originally Bofors was a fairly small ironworks – one of the many works built in the forestry and mining districts of Värmland and Bergslagen It was not until well into the 1900s that Bofors started to grow into an industry of some considerable size But it long retained the old industrial spirit and the company had its own sewers public baths – and even its own fire service and its own policeman who was called Jonsson and lived above the Bofors tailor’s shop But the rapid development of Bofors as a defence industry resulted in a rapid increase in the number of employees and there was a risk of the area around the works being transformed into a ‘Wild West’ The small municipal community of Karlskoga But the capacity of the fresh and waste water infrastructure was becoming inadequate And a disorganised settlement without proper streets and neighbourhoods grew up around the works and the municipal community A close examination of the population statistics paints a good picture of the dash to Karlskoga in the 1930s and 1940s there were 19,027 people living in the municipality – by 1945 that number had increased to 29,464 The problem required a solution and discussions went back and forth It was obvious that a new city needed to be created Should the city only include the municipal community and the ironworks The discussion resulted in the entire municipality of Karlskoga becoming a new city – with a surface area larger than London and the largest in Sweden (until Kiruna exceeded it some years later) The issue of its name also generated a great deal of interest and the main national newspapers ran headlines such as ‘Sweden’s largest city’ ‘The forest that wants to become a city’ ‘Is Bofors becoming a metropolis?’ and ‘Karlskoga – a mega-city’ Many local residents wrote letters to the editor and the subject attracted rhymes and topical articles in the evening papers One proposal that was aired was the name Karlsfors There was a lively debate in the municipal council which was held in the assembly hall of the old secondary school In the end the well-established name of Karlskoga was chosen after all In the midst of the world war and in a time of crisis the birth of the city was celebrated on 1 January 1940 ‘Home-made’ Bofors guns fired the salute on that cold New Year’s night The new city gradually took over many of the company’s old tasks but there was also close cooperation on practical issues Early on Bofors had been keen to help find various solutions to the housing problems of its employees It was a natural commitment for the traditional ironworks and may have been necessary to attract a labour force to settle down in the sparsely populated areas where the works were often located In the late 19th/early 20th century the company became interested in the Swedish movement for home ownership and the Bofors Arbetares Byggnads Aktiebolag was formed in 1903 which went on to help workers to acquire a home of their own The basis of the Swedish movement for home ownership was that small farmers workers and junior civil servants should be given advice on obtaining their own comfortable homes surrounded by a small garden or patch of land – marking the beginnings of what subsequently became residential districts In order to facilitate construction the company had a beautiful area in Sandviken planned which contained 61 plots on the slopes down towards Lake Möckeln Karls Åby and Stackfallsängen were added later the ties between the company and city became closer and closer on housing issues and they jointly formed Karlskoga Bostadsaktiebolag (Karlskoga Housing Company) with the city and the company putting up half the share capital each Bofors also initiated the creation of various housing foundations and supported HSB-type houses (HSB = Hyresgästernas Sparkasse - och Byggnadsförening – ‘Tenants’ Savings and Construction Association’) Under the auspices of the Bofors housing foundation more than 600 apartments and 300 ‘bachelor pads’ were built after the Second World War with names such as Hultebo Bofors also helped to provide grants and interest-free loans to get homes constructed by other players and more than 1,000 apartments were created in this way Bofors made its mark on the lives of the residents of Karlskoga The company made significant investment in promoting various activities for the general public the Bofors meeting house was built with the following motto over its doors: “Greater knowledge lights the way The meeting room had a large hall for lectures concerts and other events and a modern gymnasium After the Second World War the meeting house was rebuilt according to drawings by the architects Backström and Reinius The company also supported sporting life in Karlskoga and many not-for-profit organisations in the cultural and charitable sector The company paid for the Bofors sports ground in its entirety and also had a hand in the creation of the ice hockey rink There was a particular focus on children and young people In 1918 Bofors built its own nursery or ‘kindergarten’ where the children were looked after while their parents were working which was the first of its kind in Swedish industry A key aim of the facility was to provide young people with worthwhile leisure activities and with a sanctuary outside the home Many families lived in cramped conditions as a consequence of the lack of housing The drawings for the youth centre were drawn up by the architect Gustaf Birch-Lindgren It had a yellow brick façade and was built over three floors with a furnished basement The basement housed a large handicraft room The manager lived one floor up on the ground floor and there was also a fairly large coffee shop with a reading room and kitchen areas as well as premises for school kitchens reading and writing room as well as a number of study rooms On the top floor there was a meeting room with seating space for 250 people A glance in the archives indicates there was lively activity in the youth centre in the period from 1945-46 Five study circles were held for ‘young adults’ in English knitting and even household courses for men The company’s apprentices’ workshop was located next to the youth centre and was built at the same time A kind of apprenticeship had existed in every age – knowledge of a profession was handed down from the older generation to the younger one But in 1918 the organisation of apprenticeship courses began in line with modern requirements and with the growth of the business The new apprentices’ workshop was built to house 75 apprentices who spent three years of their four-year apprenticeship there During the last year they worked outside in the different workshop departments For young people the apprentices’ workshop was an affordable school since the education was free and they even received some pay The advantage for Bofors was that it was continually able to add to its staff from a well-trained workforce Most of the apprentices remained in the company’s service Within a few years Karlskoga underwent a transformation that is almost without precedent in Sweden In a short time the new city was built up with a town hall In 1953 the People’s House or community centre was finished and there was also a department store Bofors was a strategic industry during the war years and there was an enormous expansion afterwards with a great influx of people to the city A well-known saying is attributed to Frans Andersson who was employed at the company from 1880 to 1935 Andersson coined the phrase: “What’s good for Bofors The city of Karlskoga was dependent on the changing business cycles of Bofors In the early 1970s Bofors had more than 10,000 employees and the city had more than 40,000 inhabitants But when the defence industry fell on hard times in the 1980s and 1990s this naturally affected the municipality as well There was a drastic reduction of more than 10,000 in the number of inhabitants and many apartments were demolished In the 2010s the number of inhabitants is increasing again and there is once again a shortage of housing in Karlskoga If Bofors had not developed into an international defence industry Karlskoga would probably still have been a small parish village with rolling farmlands and forests The fortunes of the company and the city are therefore closely intertwined Saab serves the global market of governments authorities and corporations with products services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security mister-baseball.com Passionate about European baseball since 2007 The Karlskoga Bats have won the Swedish Elitserien Championship They defeated the Leksand Lumberjacks in four games clinching the title with a 6-3 win in the decisive fourth match on Saturday Karlskoga already had won the regular season with a dominant 21-3 record and reached the finals thanks to a sweep over the Sundbyberg Heat in the semi-finals Leksand had eliminated defending champion Stockholm to get to the title series Karlskoga was led by strong pitching of Paul Waterman Spencer Kreisberg and Kenta Sato in the series Chris Johansson was named Most Valuable Player of the finals Photo: Lars Sundin/Swedish Baseball and Softball Federation Danish Formula 4 and Sweden’s Formula Renault 1.6-spec Formula Nordic series shared grids for a second time this year at Karlskoga and the two categories ended up more evenly matched At Anderstorp Raceway last month the F4 cars convicingly set the pace and in Karlskoga qualifying Mikkel Pedersen took pole by 0.261 seconds over namesake Magnus Pedersen Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen was 0.315s behind in third and top FNordic runner Linus Granfors was 0.478s back in fourth The combined grid meant 21 cars started race one but absent from the action was Mikkel Pedersen and Theodor Jensen Pedersen came to a stop en route to the grid while Jensen was stuck on the grid on the formation lap and was left there then got hit hard from behind at the actual start by FNordic runner Viktor Molander and the pair had to sit out the rest of the event Magnus Pedersen had a strong getaway when the lights went out while Jakobsen had a slow start but stayed ahead of Granfors before the race was red flagged Once the pit straight was cleared of two stricken cars and Christer Otterstrom passed Granfors mid-lap for third place overall and the FNordic lead Jakobsen took the overall lead by darting down the inside at turn one of lap three of the restarted race while Otterstrom put a wheel on the grass and dropped back behind Granfors but Pedersen was back in the lead on lap seven as Jakobsen had an incident that broke his front-left wheel and left him stranded on track and Granfors took the lead on lap 12 of 17 by going down the inside of the left-hander Harlanen hairpin Otterstrom passed Pedersen three laps later but as they navigated lapped traffic Pedersen got the opportunity to get back ahead on lap 16 The traffic meant Granfors managed to win by an astonishing 11.692s and Oliver Kratsch took F5 victory in fifth after Hoe sunk to 10th Mikkel Pedersen got another chance to start from pole in race two but lost the lead straight away to Magnus Pedersen The lap before that Andreas Vaa had spun out and drivers kept having to swerve to avoid his car until the safety car appeared on lap 13 and Magnus Pedersen became points leader with victory ahead of Jakobsen Redemption finally came for Mikkel Pedersen in race three Otterstrom resisted early pressure from Nielsen for fourth and Jakobsen charged up from 15th to sixth In a complex and ever more unpredictable world Saab’s innovations contribute to making people and societies safe missiles and torpedoes for armed forces and the defence industry Follow us for a day at one of Saab’s business areas and the production facility Björkborn with long roots in Sweden’s defence industry Jonna and Peter who work in the business area Dynamics Breakfast at Björkborn is in full swing The kitchen in the main building is an informal meeting point for employees office workers and production team members are drinking coffee and eating their breakfast together go through their plans for the day and enjoy each other’s company Every Friday staff at Björkborn pull out all the stops preparing breakfast on a rotating breakfast schedule and enjoying the type of breakfast feast that one would find at any Swedish hotel: scrambled eggs Björkborn is working on three-shifts when we visit to meet the increased orders that have come from Saab customers around the world so everyone here started their day between 0600 and 0700 home to 27,000 people and with hundreds of years of industrial tradition Saab Dynamics  is spread out over more than 120 freestanding small houses that dot the enclosed industrial park area which is approximately 3 square kilometres in size The juxtaposition of small prefab houses and woodlands is even more apparent when you see deer jumping in the high grass just behind the production houses Many of these houses have small teams of just four or six people working there and the larger ones have up to 40 people working in them explains that: “Since this production facility is quite unique with production teams all located in small houses the chance to meet in the kitchen during mealtimes is a nice way to still feel connected to your colleagues.” Thörn gives a safety demonstration and explain the measures that are in place for visitors and staff at the production area “We work with energetic materials here and we are very careful to adhere to all the safety precautions that are in place for our industry,” he says “Safety and quality control are at the core of everything that we do here at Björkborn.” In addition to explaining the dos and don’ts at the facility, Thörn also shows replicas of some of the products that are made here. He takes out the 84 mm recoilless rifle Carl-Gustaf “This has been a very important product for us here and our testing of products like Carl-Gustaf is crucial Our products must be eady for use once the clients get them and fully operational in a battlefield setting is a first line manager who has worked at the Björkborn facility for 18 years We meet in her office for a short meeting before she visits her team on site Sarajärvi worked on the production line but has made her way up through the organisation and now has a supervisory role Her mother is celebrating 40 years at the facility on the day we visit and other family members including her father have also worked here I thought that working for the defence industry wasn’t something I wanted to do I didn’t want to be a part of that world But my family told me Saab was a good place to work and that I should give it a try anyway,” Sarajärvi explains and I saw that the company really cares about people and came to understand that in an ideal world we wouldn’t need weapons and a defence industry the world is turbulent and the most important thing that Saab does It’s a human right and it’s important Sarajärvi says that having encouraging team leaders and colleagues has given her the desire to challenge herself “My supervisors have seen my interest in doing more and have found ways for me to develop my skills I was encouraged to apply for the role of manager of Ammunition Assembly Workshops and have been given support as I get to know the team and the new responsibilities of the role I now have It has been a fantastic journey for me personally.” there is a clear advantage of having worked on the production line and now working as a team leader “I have held the same positions as the people in my team so I can give pointers on how to help new employees that are learning the processes and insights about how we work,” she says Sarajärvi eats lunch with a few of her team members in a small house placed at one end of the facility so there are only four women seated around the table in the little kitchen Two of them have recently started working at Saab Björkborn “One of the women here had full time employment working elsewhere in Karlskoga but decided to take a temporary position here anyway,” says Sarajärvi “She knew that there was a risk involved in accepting the position because we had nothing permanent to offer her but she liked working here so much that she decided it was worth taking the chance.” a position became available and Sarajärvi was able to offer her new team member a long-term position and Sarajärvi explains that there are 500 unsolicited applications that are received each year where a large number of employees come from the surrounding areas even before ads are placed looking for new employees that’s a result of the informal testimonials of friends sharing their positive experiences of working at Saab “This is an innovative and collaborative environment,” says Katarina Mälman a project manager who works with the air defence system RBS 70-family She’s worked for at Saab for 16 years in a number of roles before her placement in her present position As with many of her Björkborn colleagues Mälman’s mother and uncle also work here “There is a sense of pride and belonging that is obvious when you meet Björkborn employees working in a team and knowing that we can succeed together is the most important thing we do regardless of what role we have here at the company.” Katarina manages a cross functional team to secure the production process and ensure that orders from clients are on schedule for delivery She splits her time between the shop floor inspecting the production process and speaking to the team on the line The quest for constant improvement drives her and is a cornerstone of the work that is done across the board at Saab Björkborn “It’s my job to ensure that we deliver on time and efficiently to our clients Head of Karlskoga’s Municipal Executive Committee explains that having Saab located in Karlskoga is good for the community “We are very proud of our longstanding link to the defence industry here Alfred Nobel had his laboratory here and conducted dynamite experiments in the late 1800’s not far from where the Björkborn industrial area is located today” was the precursor to the modern defence industry in Karlskoga today when the business landscape changed and the municipality had more people moving out “We feared that our community was no longer going to flourish“ “So when Saab was established at Björkborn Now we have 4,500 people who commute to work here every day because a number of new companies related to the defence industry have also decided to base their operations in Karlskoga We’ve also seen a number of pharmaceutical companies establishing their headquarters here too,” he says “We are building new housing to attract even more people to the area since we know that more businesses are interested in coming here and their employees will need somewhere to live Our municipality now has a number of very high tech industries that are based here People know that there are interesting employment opportunities available in Karlskoga now A number of foreign companies have joint partnerships with companies that are based here They are investing and are building state of the art production facilities so the area has become much more dynamic.” Over 400 dedicated Saab employees work with the assembly and tests of complete systems ranging from missiles support weapons and subsystems to torpedoes energetic subsystems at Björkborn They also assemble and test subsystems such as sensors and mechanical and electronic ignition systems primary explosives and pyrotechnical compounds are produced and the machining and insulation of double base propellant also takes place here we visit a building called Knallen (English for bang) to meet Peter Brunzell who is a laboratory technician at Saab One of his core responsibilities is to undertake planned destruction samples of electronic ignition systems primary explosives and pyrotechnical compounds two good qualities when working with pyrotechnics You can sense his pride as he gives a tour of the premises In each small room there are workers quietly filling pyrotechnical compounds and assembling electronic ignition systems among other things There are sprinkler systems mounted on the ceilings and in one of the rooms the humidity is more reminiscent of the Amazon jungle than the crisp chill of a December afternoon in Sweden Brunzell explains that some of the compounds can be set alight if the air is too dry which requires maintaining a prescribed level of humidity in the air An electronically controlled humidity sensor regulates the room’s humidity the system regulates this by misting the air as the system is sending out blasts of mist at regular intervals ”We have respect for the materials that we work with It’s important not to be scared if you are going to work in this section of Björkborn but it’s important to ask a question if there is something you are uncertain of and you have to be careful and alert,” he says Brunzell has spent 15 years at Björkborn with the last ten years spent testing pyrotechnics and analysing burn and ignition times along with his other duties After he has tested a number of explosives A metal plate used in the controlled test detonation that had been placed under a small electronic ignition system filled with a pyrotechnical compound It doesn’t take much to imagine a much larger explosive being detonated and aimed at a larger target “In my opinion every country has a right to protect its borders and citizens If you feel like this is something you can’t work with then this isn’t the right workplace for you,” he says The sun sets early in the winter in Sweden signalling that it’s soon the end of the workday for Björkborn employees Daniel Thörn came to Saab by coincidence after his studies and in his 13 years at Björkborn he has held four different positions “This is a fantastic company to work for the company gives so much room for development Working here at Björkborn and being a part of this company is much more than working in production and assembling things” “My hope is that we can get more students from the area interested in studying subjects that can be put to use here and we are also hoping to attract young men and women to apply for roles at Saab Once people visit and experience the environment and learn more about our company It makes me proud every day that I work for a company like this.” The Finnish National team player Jesse Bove will transfer from Helsinki Mets to the Swedish Elite series team Karlskoga Bats The Finnish youngster dominated the finnish league in 2018 where he was 5-1 and an ERA of 0.42 Jesse will compete with Simon Andersson and Brandon Krebs for a spot as a starter in one of the two game series or become one of the toparms in the bullpen Swedish-american Alex Barrett and the young arms of Calle Gryth and Rodney “K-Rod” Kigula Jesse plays catcher and infield when not pitching He batted .324 and was 17-0 in stolen bases in 2018 In a significant move responding to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine one of Europe's leading artillery ammunition manufacturers has shifted to round-the-clock production at its facility in Karlskoga This announcement, reported by the Swedish news portal Dagens Nyheter highlights the increasing demand for military supplies caused by the war confirmed the company’s efforts to double its production of 155 caliber artillery ammunition by the end of the year This ambitious goal involves enhancing the manufacturing of both the ammunition bodies and their explosive components the Karlskoga factory has transitioned to a 24/7 operation utilizing a five-shift system to meet the growing demand The surge in production is directly linked to the heightened needs arising from the conflict in Ukraine Andersson pointed out that the market is far from saturated with a significant shortage of ammunition still evident The ongoing hostilities in Ukraine require substantial arms supplies to maintain the effectiveness of the Ukrainian defence efforts A concerning aspect highlighted by the situation is the rapid pace at which the Russian defence industry has escalated its ammunition production This disparity underscores the urgency for the West to enhance its industrial potential for producing large quantities of artillery ammunition swiftly Nammo’s decision to increase its production capabilities reflects not only the immediate needs stemming from the current geopolitical situation but also the broader challenges faced by the defence sector in scaling up production to meet global demands efficiently A late no from the previous year’s success player Dennis Kelly forced the Bats to act quickly to find a good substitute The player that will replace Dennis will be Heath Herron The Bats have also signed Jason Enewold to reinforce the pitching staff after Adam Sowell Heath Herron played college ball for Tarleton State University He had a very successful career and had his finest season in 2008 where he set numerous school records and finished the season with a .406 batting average After college Heath had a short stint with the Corpus Christy Beach Dawgs of the Continental Baseball league Heath has played centerfield and middle infield in college and will most likely be used as a shortstop and outfielder for the Karlskoga Bats Right-hander Jason Enewold will anchor the Bats pitching staff and replaces Adam Sowell who was the Bats number one starter in 2007 and 2008 In 2006 he finished the season 5-2 with a 3.70 ERA for the College of Idaho After sitting out the 2007 season after elbow surgery he came back strong in 2008 where he finished the season 5-3 with a 4.56 ERA for the Mesa State College He led his team in opponents’ batting average with .246 The decision to develop a light mobile and protected ground-based air defence system comes from various considerations the first being the evolved threat that warfighters are meeting on the field loitering munitions and UAS adding to the more conventional rotary and fixed wing aircraft “We also considered that most GBAD inventories are ageing and that a system capable to operate both in the urban scenario as well as in open terrain was necessary,” Mats-Olof Rydberg BU Missile Systems at Saab Bofors Dynamics Another key driver is cost: “Although events in Ukraine are pushing towards a considerable increase in defence budgets we must also keep in mind that armed forces demands will also increase therefore we must propose cost-effective solutions,” he added deliveries can be expected 24 months after the signature of a firm order Indo Defence – Jakarta – 11-14 June DSEI – London – 9-12 September PARTNER – Belgrade – 23-26 September Seafuture – La Spezia – 29 Sept.-2 October ADEX – Seoul – 29 October-2 November Dubai Air Show – Dubai – 17-21 November Milipol Paris – Paris – 18-21 Novenber Expodefensa – Bogotá – 1-3 December Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Sign In Subscribe Now A Fruitvale native has taken his baseball career to an elite league in Sweden Kian Johnston was named the Baseball Jobs Overseas Player of the Week for all of Euro baseball May 25-28 and his success was noted as a “Highlight” on the Canadian Baseball Network I wanted to continue my career playing Pro in Europe and used ‘baseball jobs overseas’ to get my name in the portal for teams to view me,” Johnston told the Times “It’s an agent service used to gain exposure and guide you in contract negotiations I got the offer from Karlskoga and signed in early January 2023.” Johnston plays for the Karlskoga Bats in Sweden’s five-team Elitserien (Elite Series) A graduate of NCAA Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds he played for the San Francisco Seals of the collegiate summer league in 2021 and 2022 an adventurous option to play pro baseball “Everyone has been so inviting to me and all the import players “It has exceeded my expectations in every way and it’s cool to see how dedicated the players are considering it’s not a major sport like soccer is in Europe We even have pitch clock rules in place just like what has started in MLB this year.” So far Johnston has been nothing short of spectacular The 23-year old outfielder earned the PoW honour after a doubleheader versus Sunbyberg Heat on May 27 Kian went 2-for-5 with a double and a solo homer and scored two runs in the first match belting three home runs and seven RBIs in a 12-4 victory a week worth noting by anyone’s standards,” wrote the Canadian Baseball Network and is among the league leaders in home runs (5) not to mention a 1.000 fielding percentage Johnston arrived in Karlskoga on April 9 for spring training The league started on April 29 and will run through August with the playoff going into September The Bats currently sit in third place in its division with a 6-8-0 record Johnston’s expectations are to be there for the final game in September “Winning a championship is always the number one goal Personally I’d like to continue to grow as a ball player to be able to continue to showcase my talents.” the road to Sweden has proven to be a good choice for the 23 year old whose talents will also be showcased on a team of all-stars known as the International Stars or Globetrotters June 20-24 for a tournament against the best ball players in Europe “It (the Globetrotters) is a team made up of international imports from primarily North America,” explained Johnston “We will face off against the Czech Republic and other national teams across Europe “Playing the Czechs will be a blast as just a few months ago I was at home in Fruitvale watching them beat China in the World Baseball Classic I will be one of the youngest on the Globetrotters team but I’ll be ready for whatever role and in what quantity that is.” where he will undertake his off-season training in preparation for the 2024 baseball campaign “On top of this I will be working as a personal trainer in a gym using my degree and baseball knowledge to help athletes,” said Johnston “I will also be starting a weekly fall-winter ball program for local ball players in the Greater Trail community.” the former Trail Oriole wants to keep baseball at the forefront His acknowledgement by the Canadian Baseball Network added a boost of confidence and there is no doubt he will continue to make waves wherever he goes “My goal is to continue to make an impression and not just here in Europe,” added Johnston Read: Trail U18 Orioles make incredible run at B.C. 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