Saab has received a new order worth around SEK 2.6 billion from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to continue conceptual studies on future fighter systems between 2025 and 2027, the company stated.
The work will cover manned and unmanned aircraft concepts within a broader “system of systems” framework, combining technology development and demonstrator programmes. Saab confirmed that it will continue its collaboration with FMV, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), GKN Aerospace, and other national industry partners as part of the effort.
According to Saab, the new contract represents an extension and expansion of a previous agreement signed in March 2024.
“This order sets the next step on our joint journey in delivering innovative solutions to meet future operational needs of the Swedish Armed Forces and other customers,” said Lars Tossman, head of Saab’s Aeronautics business area.
The studies form part of Sweden’s broader research into future air power options beyond the JAS 39 Gripen, which Saab continues to upgrade for national and export customers. The company said the new phase will help refine technologies and operational concepts that could underpin future manned and unmanned platforms for Sweden and its defence partners.
Sweden’s push for a future fighter comes from a long tradition of building its own combat aircraft. For decades, the country’s defence policy has centred on self-reliance and freedom of action. From the Viggen in the 1970s to the Gripen in the 1990s, Saab has produced aircraft tailored to Sweden’s geography, limited resources, and export ambitions. The latest Gripen E and F models are the most advanced yet, but the future-fighter programme marks the start of a new cycle of design and experimentation.
Saab’s current work views air combat as a networked ecosystem rather than a single aircraft. The studies include manned jets, autonomous drones, and the systems that link them together.
Possible collab with GCAP? Sweden have never been able to develop their own fighters from scratch, and we are certainly the friendliest of the available consortiums.
Or should that be consortia?
Consortiarum? Been three years since I did Latin.
Do you say comments in fora or forums? The persistent use of Latin plurals in (some and by no means all) words when spoken in English is bizarre.
It would be consorts surely…..?
But that might be misunderstood….
I think you just mean ‘best of the possible possible project partners to form/enlarge a consortium’
Either consortiums or consortia is fine. We know what you mean.
To some extent who cares, Sweden has a much smaller amount of money than the UK but does much more with it, in fact I think EVERY country in the whole world does more with less, we could have our Taz and have better roads, health and defence if we cut the meaningless paper shufflers
I suspect this is a direct microcosm of exactly what the many and varied MoD committees find themselves analysing in great detail when they discuss military programmes and explains why they never actually come to any conclusions on the actual important stuff they were supposedly set up to decide upon.
Wasn’t Sweden a technology partner or some such, back when it was just Tempest and before the GCAP program crystallised around UK, Italy and Japan?
Yeah they put a little money in to the early R&D and were particularly interested in the drone wingmen aspect, however they realised the computer and sensor tech for Tempest wouldn’t be transferable into the existing Gripen platform due to weight/electricity requirements.
I expect the Swedes will also want a next-gen fighter that is small and light enough to operate from roads and rough air strips, like the Gripen, and that isn’t the direction the Tempest is heading in!
Yeah the have different requirements for sure. the US and others want their 6th gen to be extremely long range- the US for the pacific of course. Sweden probably wants a smaller defensive fighter.
Agree they want air defence rather than long range bombers.
Yep there will definitely be a place in the market for a small light 6th generation fighter.
I have wondered whether it might be productive for Edgewing to essentially lend SAAB some key technology, such as engines, RAM and radar modules, and just tell them to go off and develop their own lightweight fighter.
They would still be able to suit it to their needs, but there would be a lot of GCAP industrial content and we would be able to produce it ourselves if necessary.
I can’t see why not. We are constantly told that the airframe is not the most expensive part of the plane and it’s about developing the systems. So why not leaverage common systems in multiple planes for different situations, including a light STOL fighter for disperersed operations?
They left when it was clear that a jet built around the UK, Italy and Japan’s requirements wouldn’t suit their needs. The technology itself might still be attractive to them.
Wasn’t there discussions previously to bring Sweden onboard for GCAP but they subsequently ruled this out in favour of designing their own aircraft?
Yes but Saab wanted to make it a hatchback.
Don’t be ridiculous… the argument was over which side the steering wheel would be on!
I suspect a combo of them used to not being part of NATO when it comes to decisions snd old habits die hard and gcap likely to be very expensive. They want low cost allowing for higher volume.
They probably want a single engine fighter. I’m guessing that where Tempest will be quite high end, but not in NGAD territory, Sweden will want a lower end of the market stealth Gripen.
Photos of reduced scale test model experiments are in the public domain and they look very cool.
It just seems like the west is hell bent on large, twin jet, hi tech and very expensive aircraft. That’s 4 aircraft all trying to compete for export orders and due to the costs end up with even fewer aircraft.
Sweden has always gone then their own way and have a taste for single engine, simple to service, robust but high tech aircraft and this-looks no different. I have said this before but we need mass and this sort of aircraft could be just the ticket.
Especially if they are able to incorporate a RR engine.
If Germany leaves the FCAS program, would it possible for them to collaborate with Sweden on a sixth gen aircraft. France want’s an aircraft that is capable of operating from carriers and carrying nuclear weapons, Germany and Sweden don’t.
Germany is actively Considering alternatives to FCAS. It is a real shame we didnt join Tempest.
Promise not to be dicks, and ask to join.
Germany may well have cooked its TEMPEST goose with the issues over Typhoon export.
They might be allowed to screw their own together but workshare and export control debates will be off the table.
I’d not allow anybody in with the exception of Sweden, who won’t for previously stated reasons.
We’d be absolute mugs….and you just see this government caving in to it.
The big European players may be allies, but even allies screw over other allies for their own ends.
NO.
Germany don’t have any 6th Gen tech to offer the program anyway.
So all they can do is to very slowly absorb tech.
Maybe we could offer Sweden a more collaborative form of the Gripen development, with GCAP technology transfer in exchange for e.g. AH140 purchase?
I’d say that there is a few other countries that should be allowed to join, but only as a second tier partner at this point to avoid complications and delays. GCAP is supposed to have extremely long range strike abilities, which would be attractive to the likes of Australia and Canada.
Germany is possibly in a cool position, where it could concentrate on producing the killer collaborative aircraft that will work with GCAP, SCAF, FX-AA and F-47 (not to mention Gripen NG). It can sink billions into an area that no other large country can because they are all too busy funding a core fighter, or two.
We have seen Britain’s recent carrier requirements in this area dismissed as impossible, in part because it would need a clean-sheet design and because we aren’t prepared to put in the time or the money. This is the kind of area in which Germany should seek to excel.
“Since the Viggen”, Draken surely!