Sweden will produce Gripen E fighter jets in Portugal
- Valerie Charoux
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Defense News Europe - Sweden will produce Gripen E fighter jets in Portugal, following the Memorandum signed between SAAB and Portuguese companies OGMA and Critical Software when Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson visited Portugal on September 25th.
Swedish Defense corporation SAAB will produce Gripen E fighter jets as an innovative and cost-effective solution, investing in partnerships with OGMA and Critical Software to boost the EU defense industry.
The EU’s shift towards European-made options has led Saab to choose Portugal to produce fighter jets that rival the best in the world.
What is the Gripen E fighter jet?
The Gripen E fighter jet relies on advanced electronic warfare (EW) systems that create a 360-degree electronic bubble around the aircraft, so it is capable of operating in highly contested combat environments. The Gripen E fighter jet achieves air supremacy with the carriage of up to seven Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missiles and two Within Visual Range IRIS-T missiles.
The Gripen fighter jet developed by Swedish defense giant SAAN is highly adaptable and innovative, since its unique design separates the tactical software from the flight hardware, allowing updates to be made quickly and at a reduced cost.
The Gripen E AI-piloted aircraft is extremely difficult to defeat in combat and the flexibility and speed in implementing updates to its defense systems have been a key feature of the Ukrainian battlefield.
The Gripen E fighter jet is capable of operating in hostile environments and is able to use highway lanes as runways for landing and takeoff.
Why Did Sweden choose Portugal for producing the Gripen E fighter jet?
The golden rule for modernizing the EU Armed Forces is to ensure the involvement of national defense industries to provide the much-desired strategic autonomy.
"You have very strong companies here," stated Daniel Boestad, highlighting the potential of integrating Portugal into the Gripen production and maintenance chain.
This new cooperation will enable a large-scale technological and industrial transfer program so Portugal may become an important partner in the Gripen’s global supply chain.
The Gripen E fighter jet is capable of mid-air refueling, and Portugal is preparing to acquire refueling kits for Embraer's KC-390 aircraft. According to Saab, the combination of these two aircraft that are used by both Sweden and Brazil is an example of a "successful partnership."
Saab will cooperate with Portuguese company OGMA for the production, maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the Gripen E fighter jet, while Critical Software will participate in several joint projects in the aviation software sector.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson stated that the new Gripen E aircraft built by Saab will remain in service until at least 2050. Sweden plans to accelerate its military buildup is aiming to reach NATO’s new defense spending targets, namely 3.5 percent of GDP on core defense plus 1.5 percent on related investments, by 2030.
