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The Rainforest – defying the conventional and shaping the future of Saab

2 min read

For nearly a century, Saab has been at the forefront of innovation—pushing the boundaries of what is possible in technology, security, and defense. We have built a legacy of excellence, solving some of the world's toughest challenges and shaping the future through bold ideas.

Yet, the world of technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace. For companies like Saab, with a long history of innovation, the challenge is not just about keeping up—it’s about balancing proven expertise and customer commitments with the need for agility, rapid experimentation, and forward-thinking strategies. As markets shift and competition intensifies, staying at the forefront requires both stability and bold exploration.

This is where The Rainforest comes in.

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Concept imagery

The Rainforest is an extension of Saab’s pioneering spirit. Founded in 2022, The Rainforest was created to amplify, accelerate, and explore—an autonomous force within Saab, with purpose to defy the conventional and push into the uncharted. Acting as an internal start-up, they embrace agility, rapid experimentation, and a bold mindset to uncover future opportunities that might redefine our industry.

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Why the name “The Rainforest”, you might wonder?

“Just as the rainforest occupy a small fraction of the Earth but is an important part to power nature’s evolution through innovation, we view The Rainforest a small yet dynamic part of Saab, aiming to help accelerate innovation and shape what comes next,” says Axel Bååthe, Head of The Rainforest.

Creating disruptive technology

The Rainforest mission is to create disruptive technology that is:

  • Significantly more affordable compared to similar technology
  • Built for flexibility and modularity, enabling fast iterations and adaption to the future  
  • Built for production and easy maintenance, reducing number of components, using COTS innovatively and utilizing production methods of the future 

 

The Rainforest is found within Saab business Area Aeronautics and its business unit Advanced Programs. While the latter is to be seen as the vanguard, pushing the boundaries of the next generation, navigating known markets, customers, and challenges, The Rainforest operate like an expedition team, scouting ahead into uncharted territories, identifying opportunities, aiming to develop disruptive product concepts that will revolutionize both civil and military technology, create new market segments and help keep people and society safe.

Beyond innovation, they challenge how technology is developed—pioneering disruptive methodologies that drive efficiency and agility, helping Saab as a whole to become drastically more efficient in shaping the future.

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“Together with the rest of Saab, we form a powerful collaboration — where proven expertise and disruptive innovation fuel each other. Our work complements and strengthens Saab as a whole, ensuring that established excellence and bold exploration work hand in hand to shape the future"
Axel Bååthe, Head of The Rainforest

 

Read more about The Rainforest here.