Strong growth potential in our U.S. operations
The United States is the largest market in the world for defence equipment, systems and services. It is also an important engine for Saab’s future growth.
Operations were initially focused on channelling products designed in Sweden to the U.S. market, including the Giraffe radar and Carl Gustaf. But in recent years, Saab has redefined its position and now maintains a solid foothold as Saab Inc. Operations in the U.S. gained strong momentum with the 2018 agreement with Boeing on developing the T-7A advanced pilot training system for the U.S. Air Force.
Today, Saab Inc. develops, modifies and delivers Saab’s portfolio to U.S. customers, based on technology developed both in the US and in Sweden. The company actively transfers technology from Sweden where appropriate, while utilizing a supplier base across 24 U.S. states. With roughly $400M USD in annual U.S. sales, Saab has about 650 employees, and operates out of seven U.S. locations. Technology developed by Saab Inc. is also available for export outside the U.S.
Saab’s growth strategy in the U.S. is based on building a strong, unified brand, while gaining a position as an “embedded” supplier; i.e. a member of the national defence industry contributing to job opportunities, tax revenue, political constituents and generating military technology focused on US requirements. Establishing Saab as “embedded” further enables the pursuit and capture of funded research and development. The target is high priority U.S. customer needs and missions that are currently underserved by US suppliers. Recent contracts include orders in the Threat Simulator domain.
Saab starts construction of new "smart" U.S. production facility
In 2020, Saab started construction of a new, highly automated U.S. facility for advanced manufacturing and production in West Lafayette, Indiana. The facility is an important part of Saab’s growth strategy in the United States, creating strong organic capabilities for the development, manufacturing and sales of its products. The site will be located at the Purdue University-affiliated Discovery Park District. Saab has entered into a partnership with the Purdue University, and through this intends to expand its U.S. based Research and Development with focus on cutting edge technology in areas such as sensor systems, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. Initially, the facility will be producing major structural sections and perform the final assembly of the Saab parts of the T-7 advanced jet trainer, developed by Boeing and Saab for the United States Air Force. The location was chosen based on the support of the State of Indiana, the cooperation opportunities with the world-leading Purdue University and its strategic position geographically.