Saab Celebrates the U.S. Army’s 250th Birthday
As the Army marks 250 years of defending the nation, Saab celebrates our decades long partnership built on trust, innovation and a shared commitment to supporting U.S. soldiers.
For two and a half centuries, the U.S. Army has stood at the forefront of our national defense. From the U.S. Revolution to the present day, American soldiers have shaped history while protecting our future.
Saab, Inc. has been proud to play a role in supporting that mission for the past four decades through close collaboration, combat-proven solutions and a shared commitment to keeping soldiers safe.
From shoulder-launched munitions to advanced training systems and domestic manufacturing, Saab’s enduring partnership with the U.S. Army continues to evolve to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Four decades of collaborative innovation, starting with the AT4
Since the mid-1980s, the U.S. Army has trusted Saab’s AT4, a lightweight, man-portable and fully disposable weapon system that has proven to help American troops, including during conflicts such as Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. It allows soldiers to engage targets with efficacy, behind-the-wall effects and multi-target capabilities without unnecessary exposure in the line of fire. For the U.S. Army, the AT4 is an easy-to-use tool soldiers can always rely on, especially in high-risk scenarios.
Saab knows that the needs of our soldiers evolve as the state of the world and warfare changes, and therefore we proactively collaborated with the U.S. Army to further develop the AT4 in response to changing combat environments. This collaboration has led to the introduction of the AT4CS (confined space) variant, which has since evolved into six variations, each with capabilities designed to provide maximum versatility and efficiency.
To date, Saab has delivered over 700,000 AT4s to the U.S. military. The weapon has been battle-tested in every major conflict since Desert Storm, improving through continued Army feedback into a family of variants capable of defeating multiple target types and maximizing soldier survivability in complex environments.
“I always had confidence in the Saab shoulder fired systems throughout my career in the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. Since my retirement from service, it has been a privilege to continue working with the Army to provide our soldiers with the best systems available and help provide solutions to the evolving challenges of our warfighters,” said retired Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee, Business Development Manager at Saab, Inc. and Medal of Honor recipient.
Strengthening readiness through training and simulation advancements
The U.S. Army places a strong focus on troop combat readiness through training and simulation system development.
The Army’s Home Station Instrumentation Training System (HITS) and a key partner on the Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (VTESS) aim to bring Army training into the modern era, utilizing Saab’s technology and realistic scenarios to provide soldiers and their leaders with the information they need to continually improve.
Together, Saab and the U.S. Army are advancing synthetic training environments, live training ranges and exportable solutions to enhance force readiness.
Investing in the future
For 250 years, the Army has defended the nation. Saab is proud to stand with them and is committed to supporting the next generation of soldiers for decades to come.
To further support the U.S. military, Saab is ramping up U.S.-based production to increase capacity and reduce supply chain risk, investing more than $300M in domestic capital production capacity since 2020, creating U.S. jobs and delivering critical warfighting capabilities. The company’s new munitions facility in Grayling, Michigan, will support the U.S. Army’s domestic manufacturing priorities while creating high-quality jobs and strengthening the domestic defense industrial base. The company plans to establish additional domestic facilities in the coming years.
Safety and technological advancement also remain a top priority, including the research and development of the latest cutting-edge technologies. By using innovative design and unmatched expertise, Saab is able to develop disruptive products and create customized solutions to meet even the most complex defense challenges.