The HX Programme & offer to Finland
Our best and final offer includes 64 Gripen E fighters, which are the most advanced fighter jets on the market, and two GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft. Our offer also includes an extensive package of weapons and sensor capabilities including long-range Meteor air-to-air missiles, short-range IRIS-T air-to-air missiles, medium-range SPEAR air-to-ground missiles and KEPD350/Taurus cruise missiles for long-range strike missions against ground targets. Finland will, of course, also be provided with all the equipment and services required for the systems’ operations.
Our offer also includes an extensive industrial cooperation programme and the transfer of technology to Finland, the aim of which is to safeguard the national independent operating capabilities for security of supply. This includes the transfer of maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities to industries in Finland, the production of parts and assembly of aircraft and their engines in Finland, and the establishment of a Gripen & GlobalEye system centre in Finland.
The system centre will allow Finland to develop systems to its own specifications, either independently or in cooperation with Sweden and other Gripen operators. The centre will create new areas of expertise and numerous jobs while ensuring that the systems operated by Finland remain at the forefront of development until the 2060s.
Finland is an important market for Saab. We have a long history here, and we are constantly expanding our operations in Finland with new partnerships with local businesses and universities. We have had extensive research cooperation with Aalto University in recent years, and the Saab Technology Center we established in Tampere already employs more than 50 engineers. The centre already develops and manufactures systems for the Gripen and GlobalEye. We are also involved in extensive cooperation projects with VTT and many Finnish companies in the defence sector.