Saab has announced plans to significantly expand production of the Gripen E/F fighter jet, targeting an assembly capacity of up to 36 aircraft per year to meet growing international demand.
FlightGlobalAccording to Saab, this figure could increase further in the future thanks to new orders and the ongoing tender process.
Some of this expansion is not limited to Saab’s headquarters plant in Sweden. The company’s strategy involves decentralizing production, with industrial parks in other countries taking on a major role in component assembly and manufacturing. Brazil is already an example of this model, and a plant run by Embraer in cooperation with Saab is ready to deliver its first aircraft to the Brazilian Air Force.
Firm orders from countries including Thailand, Colombia and Sweden provide a solid foundation for Saab to continue competing for new contracts in markets such as Portugal, the Philippines and Ukraine. At the same time, the situation in Canada remains uncertain, and the government is reconsidering its initial plan to purchase 88 F-35A fighter jets from the United States, with only 16 confirmed to be purchased so far.
In this situation, Saab proposed to Canada the possibility of local production of the Gripen in cooperation with domestic companies, replicating the model adopted in Brazil. Ukraine has also signaled its intention to adopt the same strategy from 2033, a project that could involve everything from final assembly of aircraft to the production of individual components and systems.
source: Militarnyi | Photo: Saab | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by our editorial team
