Singapore, February 9 Sweden’s SAAB has proposed to the Indian Government the creation of the world’s most advanced aerospace industry, comprising multi-layered design, production, and maintenance, as well as the induction of the Gripen E fighter jet.
“In our discussions with the Government of India, we have proposed the creation of the world’s most advanced aerospace industry, comprising multi-layered design, production, and maintenance,” said Mikael Franzen, Chief Marketing Officer, Gripen, and Vice President of Business Area Aeronautics at the Swedish group.
He pointed out that the Gripen E is the most modern and cost-effective fighter jet system on the market and could significantly improve Air Power within the Indian Air Force, with world-leading sensor and networking capabilities.
“The highest availability of any fighter gives an unparalleled combat advantage against any adversary. The Gripen will perfectly fit with the Rafale and Tejas in the IAF,” Frazen told PTI at the Singapore Airshow held from February 3-8.
While the IAF operates the Rafale and Tejas fighters, there is a significant opportunity for a game-changer like the Gripen E at two levels: first, a fighter that can be quickly and in large numbers; second, a technology powerhouse that has already solved the recipe for constant updating, upgrading, and incorporating the latest technology to become masters of Net Centric Warfare, Electronic Warfare, and Kill Chain, he highlighted.
The Gripen E not only ticks all the boxes, as its rapidly increasing AI capabilities have already put it far ahead of every other fighter aircraft, he elaborated on the jet.
The Gripen is the only fighter aircraft with the ability not only to incorporate new technology without significant downtime due to its ability to rapidly qualify and certify new software. Gripen provides Air Forces unique capability to build, qualify, incorporate and certify their own software without the involvement of the manufacturer, said Franzen.
“Saab would be making the biggest transfer of technology and capability in the history of defence aviation, engaging with over 300 tier 1, 2, and 3 companies, including MSMEs. The infusion of industrial capabilities and new technologies makes Gripen a potential stepping stone to bolster India’s indigenous fighter projects such as AMCA,” underscored the Swedish business executive.
At the core of Saab’s India proposition is to deliver aircraft quickly – as soon as the third year from contract. This is followed by a significant capacity ramp-up – to enable the IAF to multiply its fleet options, he said.
“There is a blueprint not only to build aircraft, initially out of Sweden and then in India at a rapid pace, but also to build an Indian ecosystem of Indian companies, in parallel. This will also form a regional industrial hub with significant opportunities for export,” he went on.
This approach will empower the IAF to incorporate customized national software and AI in the highly agile platforms at the core of Gripen avionics, which can be rapidly scaled up as greater processing power and AI evolves, said Franzen.
In summary, what is different in the SAAB offer is an aircraft that will not only fly far into the future, the ‘make in India’ will create a backbone of future aircraft bringing capability which is currently well outside the envelope of any fighter aircraft, he said.