20 to 30 Gripen Per Year and Production Expansion: Saab Shared Plans for Ukraine

The defense company Saab is considering a large-scale expansion of Gripen E fighter jet production to meet a potential order from Ukraine for 100-150 aircraft.

Saab CEO Mikael Johansson stated this after President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited the company’s plant in Linköping on October 22, Flight Global reports.

Deliveries of the new Gripen E are possible three years after the contract is signed. Saab is already capable of producing 20 to 30 aircraft annually, but the company is preparing to further increase its pace.

In addition to expanding capacity in Linköping, Saab plans to increase production at a joint plant with Embraer in Brazil. Implementing these plans may take 1 to 2 years. The company is also negotiating the establishment of a new production hub in other countries interested in the Gripen.

Saab is already working on the delivery schedule and technical expectations of the Ukrainian side.

At the same time, Saab has undergone personnel changes: Marcus Wandt, the current Chief Innovation Officer, will head the newly created Group Strategy and Technology. His responsibilities will include mergers, partnerships, and venture capital projects.

Wandt’s career includes experience as a Gripen pilot in the Swedish Air Force, as a chief test pilot at Saab, and as an astronaut for the European Space Agency.