Lucas gets Saab’s radars ready for rainforests and Siberian winters
At Saab in Gothenburg, Lucas Aztor is part of a small team that makes sure Saab's radars can take whatever the climate throws at them. He joined straight from university and found down-to-earth colleagues and work he can follow all the way out into the field.
Title: Environmental System Engineer | Location: Gothenburg | Time at Saab: 1.5 years
One radar might be deployed in a rainforest, another bolted to a ship that has to ride out a mine blast. Lucas Aztor is an Environmental System Engineer, and his job is to make sure every one of them keeps working.
He works in a small group in business unit Surface, which covers sea and land. The group is responsible for the environmental requirements for the complete radar system: temperature, humidity, salt, water, sand. Then there's the mechanical side. A radar on a truck, a pickup or a tracked vehicle takes a different kind of beating on the road, and each setup has its own vibration and shock requirements.
Lucas finished a master's in engineering in June 2024, took a geoscience course at the University of Gothenburg that autumn and started at Saab in early 2025, first as a consultant. He'd heard good things. Plenty of his classmates had gone on to Saab, and he'd been planning to write his master's thesis there. Back then the pull was simple. Defence, technology, cool products. He also had a fairly fixed idea of who he'd be working with.
"I assumed Saab would be full of older men with a military background. Turns out there are loads of young people and recent grads here, bringing in lots of new ideas."
People at Saab turned out to be down-to-earth. They help each other out, and nobody pulls rank. When Lucas asks colleagues about their careers, they're happy to share. At Saab, he sets goals together with his manager, there's plenty of internal training, and people move between roles and sites when they want to try something new.
"Here it's more like: go for it, use this as your platform. Saab benefits from that too."
What's grown on him most is why the work matters. The defence industry used to move slowly: build up, wait, deliver years later. Now equipment goes straight into service the moment it's ready, allowing valuable field experience to be captured and shared internally.
"When we're done, the equipment gets used. You just think: we're actually doing really important work."
Lucas likes seeing the big picture. His group follows the whole chain, from understanding and discussing customer needs, through setting and verifying requirements, to delivery. That way he can always see why a requirement exists and where the radar is going. That chain is what keeps him motivated. It's also why he jumped at the chance to become a Saab ambassador, visiting universities and career fairs to get students interested in Saab.
"Get to know what Saab does and what we stand for, and make sure it sits right with you. If you like exciting tech, want to grow and enjoy working with really skilled people, come join us."
Lucas on…
Three words that describe Saab as an employer?
Developing, meaningful and fun.
What do you wish you'd known before you started?
How kind everyone are, and how little ego there is. My colleagues are helpful, super knowledgeable and easy to talk to.
Best tip for someone thinking about applying?
Get to know what Saab does and what we stand for, and make sure it sits right with you. If you like exciting tech, want to grow and enjoy working with really skilled people, come join us.