Saab has signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) regarding support and maintenance services for the Swedish Air Force’s (SwAF’s) fleet of JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighters, the company announced on 12 April 2023.
The contract, valued at SEK 308 M (EUR 27.1 M), ensures continued operation and a cost-effective solution regarding maintenance and availability of the SwAF Gripen C/D fleet.
The contract covers development, studies, and testing regarding rear maintenance of JAS 39 Gripen C/D, avionics computers, development of a packaging concept, and studies on how, from a maintenance perspective, the Gripen C/D and new-generation Gripen E can effectively co-exist in the SwAF fleet.
Although the Swedish government has ordered 60 next-generation Gripen Es, deliveries of which began in December 2021, the FMV announced in April 2022 that all of the SwAF’s Gripen C/Ds would be upgraded to keep them operationally relevant until 2035, with 40 Gripen C/Ds to be retained by the SwAF once the Gripen Es have entered service, giving the SwAF a total fleet of 100 Gripens.
The SwAF currently operates 71 Saab Gripen C fighters and 23 Gripen D fighter/conversion trainers of 75 and 25 delivered from 2004.
This latest contract is a call-off of an option within the framework of a previous agreement with the FMV relating to ensuring the continued operation of, and capability-enhancing measures for, the Gripen C/D: an agreement that was communicated on 16 December 2022.
In 2023, two additional services were ordered with a total value of approximately SEK 220 M. These services include the integration of the LDP15 laser designator pod onto the JAS 39 Gripen C/D as well as the procurement of related support systems and maintenance equipment. The work, which is already underway, is being carried out at Saab in Linköping and Arboga.
Peter Felstead
