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Saab Gripen C/D Future.
Saab sees continued global sales opportunities for its Gripen C/D combat aircraft even though it is now actively marketing the more advanced E/F models, according to a senior company representative.
Speaking to reporters, the head of the Aeronautics division, Ulf Nilsson, said that Saab will carry on campaigning for the C/D aircraft, for which there will be a continuous upgrade programme to keep it at the forefront of military capabilities through to at least 2035.
"We won't stop promoting the C/D. It is still, and will continue to be, a very capable aircraft which will be in continuous development. It really doesn't matter if you join [the Gripen programme] with the C/D or with the E/F, there will always be a way for us to grow your capability through incremental upgrades," he said.
To date, Saab has sold
75 Gripen C.
25 Gripen D.
aircraft to Sweden (many of which were remanufactured from the 105 Gripen A and 13 Gripen B aircraft already in service),
17 C and 9 D aircraft to South Africa,
8 C and 4 D to Thailand;
and has leased 12 C and 2 D to Hungary,
12 C and 2 D to the Czech Republic,
and 1 D to the UK Empire Test Pilots School. As well, Slovakia recently selected the Gripen C/D for its new fighter aircraft.
With a contract now signed for 60 Gripen E fighters for Sweden (with a requirement for up to 80), as well as 28 E and 8 F platforms for Brazil, Saab told reporters that the company was keen to get across the message that it is not about to abandon the C/D to a gradual obsolescence.
Even though there are now no more C/D aircraft to deliver (the last one was handed over to the Swedish Air Force [SwAF] earlier in 2015), and the Linkoping production line has now begun work on the first E prototype (39-08), Nilsson said that there were options for potential new C/D customers.
"There are plenty of A/B airframes in storage that can be converted to C/D. I can't say precisely how many, as they belong to the SwAF and it's not my place to talk about its assets, but there is a significant number if required," he said.
According to Nilsson, there is very little price difference between a refurbished A/B to C/D or a new-build C/D aircraft, and that the airframe lives of the refurbished aircraft are very low. However, if a customer does not want refurbished A/B platforms then Saab could restart the C/D line, he said.
While the C/D will be cheaper to procure than the E/F, Nilsson said that the decision on which variant to pitch to which customer was being driven as much by timelines as it is by capabilities or costs.
"The first opportunity to accommodate orders on the E line beyond Sweden and Brazil will be in 2022. There are many near-term fighter requirements that won't wait until then, and so the C/D is a very viable proposal for those nations. Of course, just because they go for C/D now, does not mean they have to stay with it in the future - they can always go onto the E/F if they want to."
In terms of global opportunities, Nilsson said the company hoped to sell between 300 and 450 Gripen C/D/E/F platforms in the next 20 years (10 to 15% of the accessible market).
Specifically, Saab sees potential in Austria (C/D or E/F as a Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 replacement);
Belgium, (E/F most likely);
Botswana (C/D);
Bulgaria (C/D);
Colombia (C/D or E/F);
the Czech Republic (additional C/Ds);
Ecuador (C/D or E/F);
Finland (most likely for the E/F, depending on programme timelines);
Hungary (additional C/Ds);
India (E/F);
Indonesia (C/D);
Kenya (C/D);
Malaysia (C/D);
Mexico (C/D or E/F);
Namibia (C/D);
Peru (C/D or E/F);
Philippines (C/D);
Portugal (C/D);
Slovakia (has selected the C/D, with a contract expected later this year);
and Uruguay (C/D or E/F).
While Argentina has been touted in the media as a possible customer, Saab officials discounted any near-term deal chiefly on account of the current poor relations between that country and the UK, which manufactures many of the aircraft's key components and systems.
Source:IHS Janes
Saab sees continued global sales opportunities for its Gripen C/D combat aircraft even though it is now actively marketing the more advanced E/F models, according to a senior company representative.
Speaking to reporters, the head of the Aeronautics division, Ulf Nilsson, said that Saab will carry on campaigning for the C/D aircraft, for which there will be a continuous upgrade programme to keep it at the forefront of military capabilities through to at least 2035.
"We won't stop promoting the C/D. It is still, and will continue to be, a very capable aircraft which will be in continuous development. It really doesn't matter if you join [the Gripen programme] with the C/D or with the E/F, there will always be a way for us to grow your capability through incremental upgrades," he said.
To date, Saab has sold
75 Gripen C.
25 Gripen D.
aircraft to Sweden (many of which were remanufactured from the 105 Gripen A and 13 Gripen B aircraft already in service),
17 C and 9 D aircraft to South Africa,
8 C and 4 D to Thailand;
and has leased 12 C and 2 D to Hungary,
12 C and 2 D to the Czech Republic,
and 1 D to the UK Empire Test Pilots School. As well, Slovakia recently selected the Gripen C/D for its new fighter aircraft.
With a contract now signed for 60 Gripen E fighters for Sweden (with a requirement for up to 80), as well as 28 E and 8 F platforms for Brazil, Saab told reporters that the company was keen to get across the message that it is not about to abandon the C/D to a gradual obsolescence.
Even though there are now no more C/D aircraft to deliver (the last one was handed over to the Swedish Air Force [SwAF] earlier in 2015), and the Linkoping production line has now begun work on the first E prototype (39-08), Nilsson said that there were options for potential new C/D customers.
"There are plenty of A/B airframes in storage that can be converted to C/D. I can't say precisely how many, as they belong to the SwAF and it's not my place to talk about its assets, but there is a significant number if required," he said.
According to Nilsson, there is very little price difference between a refurbished A/B to C/D or a new-build C/D aircraft, and that the airframe lives of the refurbished aircraft are very low. However, if a customer does not want refurbished A/B platforms then Saab could restart the C/D line, he said.
While the C/D will be cheaper to procure than the E/F, Nilsson said that the decision on which variant to pitch to which customer was being driven as much by timelines as it is by capabilities or costs.
"The first opportunity to accommodate orders on the E line beyond Sweden and Brazil will be in 2022. There are many near-term fighter requirements that won't wait until then, and so the C/D is a very viable proposal for those nations. Of course, just because they go for C/D now, does not mean they have to stay with it in the future - they can always go onto the E/F if they want to."
In terms of global opportunities, Nilsson said the company hoped to sell between 300 and 450 Gripen C/D/E/F platforms in the next 20 years (10 to 15% of the accessible market).
Specifically, Saab sees potential in Austria (C/D or E/F as a Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 replacement);
Belgium, (E/F most likely);
Botswana (C/D);
Bulgaria (C/D);
Colombia (C/D or E/F);
the Czech Republic (additional C/Ds);
Ecuador (C/D or E/F);
Finland (most likely for the E/F, depending on programme timelines);
Hungary (additional C/Ds);
India (E/F);
Indonesia (C/D);
Kenya (C/D);
Malaysia (C/D);
Mexico (C/D or E/F);
Namibia (C/D);
Peru (C/D or E/F);
Philippines (C/D);
Portugal (C/D);
Slovakia (has selected the C/D, with a contract expected later this year);
and Uruguay (C/D or E/F).
While Argentina has been touted in the media as a possible customer, Saab officials discounted any near-term deal chiefly on account of the current poor relations between that country and the UK, which manufactures many of the aircraft's key components and systems.
Source:IHS Janes
