Switzerland Taps Saab's Gripen as F-5 Replacement

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 30 Nov 2011 12:00


STOCKHOLM - Swedish defense group Saab AB said Nov. 30 it was "proud and delighted" over Switzerland's decision to purchase 22 of its Gripen fighter jets to replace its aging F-5 fleet.

"Given that Switzerland is known globally for applying (the) highest procurement standards and requesting state-of-the art technologies, Saab is both proud and delighted that Gripen has been chosen as the Swiss Air Force's future multirole fighter aircraft," Saab said in a statement.

The Swiss selection "confirms that Saab is a market-leader in the defense and security industry and that Gripen is a world-class fighter system that provides the best value for money", Saab CEO and president Haakan Buskhe said in the statement.

Gripen is already in service with the Swedish, Czech, Hungarian, South African and Thai air forces.

Saab saw its share price take off on the Stockholm stock exchange after the announcement. Saab closed up 11 percent at 120 kronor ($17.75) in an overall market that closed up 5.14 percent.

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SAAB Wins One As Swiss To Buy Gripen

The major combat aircraft manufacturers are often dueling to win contracts from outside their home countries. Many of the contracts awarded go to primarily U.S. aircraft or Eurofighter, the consortium from Europe. That leaves smaller providers like France’s Dassault or Sweden’s SAAB who have only sold to their domestic arm forces scrambling for whatever deals they can find.

So far neither has been able to win a contract from an overseas customer. Dassault’s Rafale does remain a contender for India’s MMRCA contract expected to be awarded this month but it is in competition with Eurofighter’s Typhoon. Rafale is also still technically being considered by Brazil but that contract has stalled. SAAB was eliminated by India in the first round and Brazil has not given any indication that they are seriously considering their product.

Many NATO countries will be buying Lockheed Martin’s (LMT) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as a replacement for the F-16 fleet purchased thirty years ago. This includes countries like the Netherlands, Canada, the U.K. and Australia that would have been long shots for the Swedish or French aircraft.

SAAB especially has been looking for a foreign sale as that country has almost completed its buy of aircraft meaning there would be no demand for it and SAAB would have to make cuts to its work force and capabilities. But now Switzerland has announced that they will buy the Gripen as a replacement for their elderly Northrop F-5 fighters.

The contract is for 22 aircraft and will also most likely include engineering and logistical support. The contract value is estimated at around $3 billion. SAAB has been very aggressive in marketing the aircraft and has offered good prices to its customers.

The contract will be a big blow to the French who had hoped to sell the Rafael to multiple customers and now really has only one left – India, although there are potential deals in the Middle East as well.

As domestic defense budgets get reduced these kind of contracts increase in value as ways to keep production lines going and workers employed. The competition for the remaining contracts will become ever more intense and cut throat.

http://www.defenseprocurementnews.com/2011/12/02/saab-wins-one-as-swiss-to-buy-gripen/

A sta bi sa nasom kupovinom novih aviona? Skoro se pricalo da nasa vojska planira tu kupovinu..osm Mig-ovih aviona spominjani su i Eurofighter i Gripen....sad izgleda nema dovoljno para...