Sweden's Defence Minister Pål Jonson said Wednesday that Canada's strong avionics sector makes it an ideal partner for Saab to expand Gripen production. The initiative comes amid Ukraine's request for 100-150 Gripen fighters, and Sweden cannot ramp up production alone if a Western coalition green-lights the transfer.
Sweden is expected to choose a new frigate design this spring, with Saab and Babcock offering the Arrowhead 120 variant. The Luleå-class frigates will strengthen the navy's capabilities in the Baltic Sea and High North amid threats from Russia.
Saab CEO Micael Johansson shared detailed information with Canada about its Gripen E/F fighter jets as part of a 'dual fleet' pitch. The initiative aims to capitalize on US-Canada tensions and offers domestic production to sweeten the deal.
Saab CEO Micael Johansson is pushing for the GlobalEye aircraft as an alternative to the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft, following NATO's rejection of the latter. The Swedish firm claims that SHAPE has looked into using GlobalEye for future AWACS operations and believes it can fill a gap left by retiring E-3 Sentry fleet.
Germany has selected Munich-based defense software company Helsing to support its Eurofighter EK program with an artificial-intelligence-enabled electronic warfare suite, marking one of the most significant attempts yet to integrate advanced AI into a front-line European combat aircraft. The program teams Helsing with Saab, which supplies its Arexis electronic warfare system, under a contract intended to replace Germany's retiring Tornado ECR fleet.
Saab has signed a €3.1 billion contract with the Colombian Government to supply 17 Gripen E/F fighter aircraft, marking one of the largest defense acquisitions in Colombia's history. The deal includes 15 single-seat Gripen E fighters and two dual-seat Gripen F aircraft, as well as support services and training.