Saab considers opening Gripen fighter jet assembly plant in Ukraine – FT
27 October 11:17
Swedish defense equipment manufacturer Saab is exploring the possibility of locating a production site in Ukraine for the final assembly and testing of Gripen fighter jets.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the Financial Times.
“It’s not easy during the war, but it would be great to set up at least the final assembly and testing of the aircraft in Ukraine, and then, possibly, partial production,” said CEO Johansson.
According to him, the agreement with Ukraine could double Saab’s production capacity needs. Currently, the company is investing in expanding production in Brazil to increase output to 20-30 Gripen aircraft per year. In the future, Saab is also considering expansion in Canada and other European countries.
Johansson added that one of the options for financing the Ukrainian project could be the use of frozen Russian assets.
“We are currently discussing at the political level what part of the financing and risks will be taken by Sweden, what part by other countries, and what part can be covered by confiscated Russian assets. There is no final decision yet,” Johansson explained.
Sasch Tusa, an aerospace and defense analyst at Agency Partners, believes that Saab has a better chance of increasing production than most competitors. According to him, the peak production of the Gripen was about 18 aircraft per year, while now the company produces a little more than half of this figure.
“The most difficult thing is to go beyond the historical maximum of production,” he said.
As a reminder, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that in order for the Russian Federation to feel the significant and tangible consequences of a full-scale war, Ukraine needs long-range missile systems, including Tomahawk. Zelenskyy called on the international community to support all efforts to provide Ukraine with the means to effectively influence and put pressure on the aggressor.
