Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has selected Saab’s Arexis sensor suite as the preferred solution to upgrade 15 of the Luftwaffe’s Eurofighters into electronic warfare (EW) variants (which Germany refers to as Elektronischer Kampf (EK) variants), the company announced on 16 June 2023.
Negotiations will now proceed towards the signing of a contract.
Saab describes Arexis, which already equips the Saab Gripen E/F fighter, as a modular EW solution that makes use of “smart software and high-tech modular components with a small footprint in a proven and tested architecture and makes a perfect fit on any fighter”.
Its key features, according to the Saab website, include “superior situational awareness in a complex signal environment with high-power gallium nitride (GaN) active electronically scanned arrays (AESAs)” and “unrivalled self-protection in every direction with state-of-the-art ultra-wideband receivers and digital radio frequency memories (DRFMs)”.
While the system can be fully integrated onto an aircraft or alternatively come in the form of a missionised pod, the exact fit for the Eurofighter EKs is not yet clear, with a Saab spokesperson telling ESD on 16 June, “We are not disclosing more details at this stage.”
The Arexis suite for the Luftwaffe Eurofighters will benefit from artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled cognitive EW capabilities provided by Saab partner Helsing. This AI platform analyses the radar data gathered by the aircraft “to generate precise self-protection measures against modern enemy radars in milliseconds”, the company stated in a press release. “This new capability upgrade will also provide the basis for continuous iteration and development cycles, allowing the EW suite to be updated at the speed of software throughout the lifecycle of the system,” Helsing added.
Selection of the Arexis suite came after the BAAINBw conducted a market survey that “assessed the products of European and international EW providers, considering aspects such as performance, integration and route to certification”, according to Saab. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (ADS) and Hensoldt had also bid for the requirement with Rafael’s Sky Shield EW pod and Hensoldt’s Kalaetron Attack jamming system.
The EK upgrade is to be completed by 2028, according to Helsing, which added that it would “revolutionise the reconnaissance and self-protection capabilities of the Eurofighter”.
Saab stated in a press release that a major part of the work would be conducted at its site in Bavaria, Germany, in concert with Helsing.
The path to selection of the Arexis sensor suite in combination with the Eurofighter began in March 2022, when the German government decided to replace the Luftwaffe’s Panavia Tornado Interdiction/Strike (IDS) and Electronic Combat/Reconnaissance (ECR) fleets by acquiring 35 Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters as strike platforms and 15 upgraded Eurofighters as EK variants.
“The war in Ukraine proves that EW plays a critical role in peer warfare – and it is becoming increasingly dynamic through the use of software,” Dr Gundbert Scherf, Helsing co-founder and co-CEO, was quoted by the company as saying. “The selection of the Saab-Helsing solution for the Eurofighter shows the German government’s commitment to the sovereign processing of data – and the role of AI – as an essential component of modern EW.”
Peter Felstead
