This article is published in Aerospace Daily & Defense Report part of Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), and is complimentary through May 01, 2026. For information on becoming an AWIN Member to access more content like this, click here.
Saab could be building as many as 20 Gripen fighters annually in about a year's time, CEO Micael Johansson says, as the aircraft-maker scales up output given recent and expected orders.
Saab has previously said it would expect to lift production to 20 to 30 Gripens per year. The figure will more likely be at the higher end, Johansson said on the company’s April 23 first-quarter earnings call.
The goal is to achieve that as quickly as possible, he adds.
Saab now has two production lines for the fighter—its Swedish facility and one in Brazil, where Embraer has begun deliveries of the single-engine combat aircraft. Saab has also said it could build Gripens in Canada should it win an order for fighter jet.
Talks with Canada about a deal are “intensive,” Johansson says, while noting a decision will likely be made at the prime ministerial level. Ottawa is mulling buying Gripens in addition to the Lockheed Martin F-35 or adding to the purchase of the U.S. aircraft.
Negotiations also are advancing with Ukraine, Johansson said. Kyiv last year said it was looking to buy up to 150 Gripens.
Key to the deal is a funding package the European Union has been looking to provide. Member states have now unlocked a €90 billion ($106 billion) loan, with about two-thirds slated to go to defense modernization.
Johansson says the funding is moving “in the right direction,” while adding the company has not been waiting for that and has been advancing talks with the potential customer about contract terms. “We are working on the proposal and the negotiations as we speak,” he said. That also means looking at what investments may be required to start delivering aircraft in the 2028-29 timeframe.
Saab was also pursuing a deal in Peru, though the government there has said it opted for a U.S. offer of Lockheed Martin F-16s. The deal has been controversial in Peru, where Defense Minister Carlos Diaz and Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela resigned, citing their opposition to the deal. Interim President Jose Balcazar, an appointed caretaker for the government while the election process continues, defended the deal in an April 22 statement.
Related Content
