All articles tagged with #saab
Canada’s plan to replace its CF-18s with an F-35 fleet is showing signs of collapse as Ottawa weighs Saab’s Gripen E/F offer, which includes thousands of local jobs and a domestic production hub, in a potential mixed‑fleet approach. The decision faces scrutiny over technology transfer, timelines, and NORAD implications, with a 2024 auditor review and ongoing U.S. readiness/diplomatic concerns adding to the uncertainty.
Saab proposes a Gripen production hub in Canada large enough to supply the Canadian Air Force and export customers, with initial aircraft built in Sweden and later in Canada to reach about 36 planes per year. Ottawa is reviewing a mixed F-35/Gripen fleet after committing to 88 jets (16 ordered). Saab has touted up to 10,000 Canadian jobs and pledged local sustainment with Canadian partners, and signaled potential orders from Ukraine if the facility is established; the plan aligns with the company’s push for a "Made-in-Canada Fighter".
The NDP is pressing Prime Minister Carney to cancel Canada’s 16-jet order of U.S.-made F-35 fighters and switch to Saab Gripen, arguing the U.S. aircraft would deepen military integration with a superpower. Defence officials say procurement will serve Canadian needs and no final decision has been made as a review continues, all amid Trump-era threats to disrupt Western aircraft supplies and tariffs.
Ottawa is weighing a mixed fighter fleet that would trim the F-35A order by more than half, keeping as few as 40 jets and buying up to 80 Saab JAS-39 Gripen Es to boost sovereignty and create jobs (estimates around 12,600). The Gripen package focuses on industrial benefits and domestic aerospace links, while 16 F-35s are already obligated and 72 remain undecided as a review ordered by Prime Minister Carney proceeds. A mixed fleet is intended to preserve NORAD/NATO interoperability while diversifying partners away from Lockheed Martin, though no final decision has been made.
European defense stocks rose after U.S. President Trump suggested Ukraine could regain all its territory from Russia with European and NATO support, boosting stocks like Saab and Hensoldt by 5%, despite broader market declines influenced by Fed concerns over inflated asset prices.
At the Paris Air Show, General Atomics announced a partnership with Saab to equip the MQ-9B Reaper with Saab's AEW sensors for early warning capabilities, aiming for deployment by 2026, and unveiled a new air-launched effect called Pele, a small, autonomous UAS designed for deployment from larger aircraft or ground launch, with a range of operational uses including missile defense and drone swarm countermeasures.
Poland is in talks with Sweden to purchase an undisclosed number of early-warning aircraft for the Polish Air Force. The Polish government is reportedly interested in Saab's GlobalEye aircraft, which were also ordered by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration last year. The aircraft will be fitted with the Erieye Extended Range radar, which has a range of more than 550 km. The announcement was made during the Northern Group meeting, where members agreed to provide further military assistance to Ukraine in its struggle against Russia's aggression.