Execution through Innovation: How Saab is Paving the Way for Progress

Some of Saab’s advances come from long-lasting industry partnerships, such as the Boeing-Saab T-7A advanced trainer aircraft, while others come from expanding existing technologies to serve the different needs of the end user. 

While the challenges differ for each industry and Saab division, each product is the result of the expertise, innovation and drive that have comprised the key core values of Saab for the past 85+ years.  

The GLSDB Team is Centralizing Production and Showcasing Partnership-Driven Innovation in Michigan

The Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) is a rocket artillery munition that provides land-based armed forces with precision warheads, offering a greater range than ever before. The GLSDB is not just a product of technical innovation, but of close collaboration between Saab and Boeing, emerging from a shared recognition of a gap in the market: a need for cost-effective, precision rocket artillery. The partnership between Saab and Boeing has been an important aspect of the GLSDB’s development, blending deep expertise across companies to bring this innovative concept to life. 

When Saab’s new Grayling facility opens in 2026, it will enable Saab to converge production of the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) at a single site. The facility will bring together production under one roof, enabling Saab to better control execution timelines and quality outcomes, critical in defense manufacturing.

By combining production capacity with modernized facilities and technical expertise (via transfer of technology) in Grayling, Saab will establish a new domain expertise in the development and production of advanced weapons and position the company for both successful execution and future growth.

The Double Eagle Combines Swedish and U.S. Innovation Practices 

The Double Eagle system are remote operated vehicles (ROV) used by navies around the world supporting mine countermeasure (MCM) missions. It was first adopted as the standard MCM system for several Baltic nations in response to the 160,000 mines laid in the Baltic Sea during World War I and II.

It allows for the same vehicle – operated with a power tether and controlled at the surface on board a surface ship – to conduct search operations with sonar, then return with a munition that can detonate a mine or mines. When the Double Eagle System was expanded and tailored to suit the needs of a U.S. military partner, the Swedish and American Saab teams came together to work toward the specific needs. The American team made multiple trips to Sweden to work together integrating new sensors, software, and modifications to deliver a more capable system.  

This collaborative innovation, which centers on mutual trust and expertise, is a critical step towards expanding U.S. production capabilities and meeting end-user needs.

The T-7A Leverages Swedish Technology to Advance American National Security 

The T-7A is an advanced pilot training system that is the result of a decade-long collaboration between Boeing and Saab and consists of the aircraft, a ground-based training system and a support solution. 

The program leverages Saab’s investment to transfer technology and 70+ years of international aerospace experience that supports U.S. Air Force training while creating domestic manufacturing and engineering jobs.  Produced in Indiana, the T-7A is the ‘Triple Helix’ model, where academia (Purdue), industry (Aerospace District) and government (Indiana) combine to identify, research and develop innovative technologies to advance Saab’s R&D capability and attract some of the brightest engineers in the country. 

The aircraft has benefited from Saab and Boeing’s “breaking the norm” approach to military aircraft design, engineering, and production, which saw the preceding T-X aircraft go from concept to first flight in just 36 months. 

The aircraft, the facility and all of Saab’s systems live in a digital eco-system where teams can work across oceans collaboratively designing, simulating, and even building the product to the exact specifications of customers for optimal performance and efficiency.

Aerobahn Reduces Delays and Improves Performance for Airports Across the Country

The Aerobahn Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) suite helps airports, airport operators and Air Navigator Service Providers (ANSP) manage surface operations more efficiently with a set of shared situational awareness and decision support tools.

Aerobahn, like the industry and customers it serves, has evolved steadily since its first deployment for Northwest Airlines in 2003. We now address a broad range of use cases from surface management to departure management, diversion management, virtual ramp control, and integrated event management (sometimes referred to as Total Airport Management).

But what has remained steady is its vital importance for airlines, airports and air navigation service providers in their efforts to manage complex surface operations, including the FAA’s Surface Awareness Initiative. 

One of Aerobahn’s key differentiators is its ability to be tailored for every client with on-the-ground support teams. Customers have seen a 21% improvement in performance along with a 55% reduction in delays.

Recent innovations include the Digital/Virtual Ramp Control, which replaces expensive ramp control rooms that jut out of airport terminals with advanced digital camera systems. These systems integrate seamlessly with existing Aerobahn tools and enable ramp control to be provided more efficiently and effectively from any location.

80+ Years of Innovation and Counting

As a trusted partner of the U.S. armed forces, Saab will continue developing next-generation defense solutions that ensure its customers are equipped to keep people and society safe for years to come.