Saab Receives Order from FMV for Gripen Upgrades
Defence and security company Saab has received an order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) regarding upgrades to the Gripen C/D system. The order value is approximately SEK 215 million and deliveries will take place between 2017 and 2019.
To ensure effective use of the Gripen system, and to future-proof its capabilities, the aircraft and ground systems undergo regular upgrades. The order is largely supplementary to the so-called MS20 upgrade carried out in Sweden earlier this year. This new order includes improvements to the aircraft's avionics and sensor systems such as the interface between the aircraft and pilot, upgrades to the support and training systems, equipment purchasing, as well as device modifications. Collectively, these upgrades will further increase the efficiency of the Gripen system.
“Today, Gripen C/D is the backbone of several air forces around the world and we see significant, sustained interest from the market. Gripen’s unique design enables a continuous upgrade of the system, which means that we can offer our customers the latest technology and thereby meet both current and future needs for operational capability”, says Jerker Ahlqvist, head of business unit Gripen within Saab business area Aeronautics.
The complete MS20 upgrade is now fully operational with the Swedish Air Force, and upgrades that enable MS20 for the Czech Air Force are on-going. MS20 provides a range of new capability options and includes new weapons, command and control functions, radar functions, and improved reconnaissance capabilities. By virtue of MS20, Gripen is the world's first fighter aircraft that is operational with the ramjet-powered missile Meteor, which makes Gripen one of the most cutting-edge systems on the market. As is always the case with Gripen, the customers are free to decide how, when, and to what degree they employ the new capabilities provided by the upgrade.
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