Saab, Inc sees opportunity in US defence market

Saab, Inc builds the aft fuselage for the US Air Force's T-7 jet trainer at a new facility in West Lafayette, Indiana. Above, the T-7 engineering and manufacturing development aircraft takes off from St Louis on its first flight in June 2023. (Boeing)

Saab continues to expand in the US through its Syracuse, New York-based subsidiary, Saab, Inc. In April, the company announced plans to build a new munitions facility in the US and unveiled the Skapa initiative to rapidly develop new capabilities and products, as Janes reported at the time. In the last year, Saab, Inc opened four new US facilities: two in the San Diego area and two in New England, Tom Disy, director of business development for Saab, Inc, told journalists at Saab headquarters in Stockholm on 13 May.

Saab sees the US market as an area where it can grow, focusing on sectors where it feels it is the most competitive. The goal is not to try to compete with the major prime contractors but rather partner with them and bring in technology from Sweden, quickly Americanise it, and get it into US systems, Saab president and CEO Micael Johansson said on 13 May. In addition to partnerships, Saab has found niches where it can add value with existing Saab products, such as the AN/SPS-77 surveillance radar and SPN-50 air traffic radar, both variants of Saab's Sea Giraffe agile multibeam (AMB) system.