STOCKHOLM–Saab CEO Micael Johansson says the company’s Gripen fighter has faced an uphill struggle against security politics as it attempts to regain a foothold in the international fighter market.
Both the new-generation Gripen E and the earlier C/D-model have failed to secure an order since Brazil selected the Gripen E platform as its future combat aircraft in December 2013.
Several European fighter contests, including programs in Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia–long perceived to be a shoo-in for the Swedish aircraft–were instead won by the U.S. F-16 Block 70 and secondhand Dassault Rafales from France.
Even a proposal to the Czech Republic to hand over Gripen C/D fighters for free at the end of their lease was rejected, with Prague opting to begin negotiations to purchase a 24-strong fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
“If it [the contests] had been a completely level playing field in terms of not talking about security politics ... I think we would have been much better off,” Johansson told journalists during briefings here on Aug. 26.
He said U.S. industry in particular enjoyed “tremendous leverage” from the U.S. government and this was not easy for a small country like Sweden to compete with.
Johansson said the Swedish government needs to better support such export efforts, noting that the government has in recent years dismantled the export element of the country’s defense support organization, FMV.
“They [the FMV] are doing as good as they can, but there are only a few people on the state side supporting export,” Johansson said.
But Johansson suggested there was hope on the horizon, with Sweden’s upcoming entry into NATO positioning the previously nonmilitarily aligned nation as a more trusted defense partner.
“I hope becoming part of NATO would put us at least on par with other countries in terms of capabilities and then it will be difficult to say that we’re not a long-term trusted partner in this,” he added.
Saab believes the Gripen has the ability to “capture a substantial portion of the market,” Johansson says, with sales of hundreds of aircraft possible.
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