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AllFlying |
Saab:
the flying Swede (Dec 2005)
 Most
people probably associate the name Saab with the long line of safe and comfortable,
but sometimes dull, cars coming out of Scandinavia in recent years. There is however
a more exciting and not so harmless side to the Saab corporation, one which has
seen it literally flying into the front-line of the world's defence and aviation
industries.
The Saab Group is based in Sweden and was founded in 1937. SAAB
is an acronym for Svenska Aeroplan AB, and as the name suggests Saab first started
manufacturing aircraft, not automobiles. However, the company wanted to diversify
its business and started building cars in the late 1940s and soon also ventured
into the computer market with Datasaab. Between 1969 and 1995 the company was
called Saab-Scania AB, after a merger with Swedish truck company Scania-Vanis.
General Motors took over full control of the Saab Automobile division in 2000,
same year as Saab's acquisition of defence group Celsius made it Sweden's dominant
defence industry. Since 1998, BAE Systems (former British Aerospace), the world's
fourth largest defence contractor, is the main shareholder in Saab with a total
of 22 per cent.
Saab is now one of the world's leading high-technology companies
and focuses on three main strategic areas: defence, aviation and space. The Saab
Group consists of more than 20 subsidiaries, including Saab Aerospace,  Saab
Aerostructures, Saab Avitronics, Saab Ericsson Space and Saab Bofors Dynamics.
These companies provide defence and security solutions, advanced systems and products
for the international defence market and space industry, as well as the civil
and commercial aviation industries.
Defence operations make up about 70 per
cent of sales, and consist of Saab Systems and Electronics - defence electronics;
Saab Aerospace - military and civil aircraft and subsystems; and Saab Bofors Dynamics
- weapons systems for air-, land-, and sea-based forces. The joint venture Saab
Ericsson Space constructs computer, guidance, and microwave systems for satellites
and booster rockets, including the onboard computers in the Arian 5 rockets used
by the European Space Agency.
In 2004, some of Saab's international sales included
the Ultra Lightweight Camouflage Net System and AT4CS anti-tank weapon to the
U.S defence, the RBS70 air defence missile to the Czech Republic, Australia, Venezuela
and Latvia, as well as orders of the PETRA tactical support and training system
to Sweden, Hungary and the Czech Republic. This year Saab secured a promising
deal with Boeing for the design and manufacture of all doors for the Boeing 787
Dreamliner, and is currently working on a contract to supply an airborne Surveillance
System for Pakistan. Saab
Aircraft
 Saab
has been developing and producing military and commercial aircraft for more than
60 years, but technology has come along way since the 1930s. Planes that are currently
manufactured for commercial use include the Saab 340, a twin-turboprop regional
airliner which is characterized as "the best selling and most successful
30-seater ever built", and its larger cousin - the Saab 2000, a high-speed
turboprop with seating for 58 people. It has a cruise speed of 670 km/h and is
said to be the fastest turboprop airliner on the market. Some of the more well-known
fighter aircrafts manufactured, exported and used by the Swedish Air Force in
recent times.include Saab.29 Tunnan - "the Flying Barrel", one of the
fastest aircraft in the world at its time; Saab Draken, Sweden's first Mach 2
fighter; and Saab Viggen, a modern-day fighter which is still in use. However,
the pride and joy of Saab and the Swedish Air Force is of course the Jas 39 Gripen,
which was first flown in December 1988 and entered operational service in 1997.
Gripen
was developed by an industrial consortium consisting of Saab, Ericsson Microwave
Systems, Volvo Aero Corporation, Saab Avitronics and FFV Aerotech. In 1995, Saab
formed Gripen International in a joint venture.with British Aerospace to manufacture
and market Gripen for export. Today, the aircraft is also used by the South African,
Hungarian and CzechAir Forces, and is being considered by a number of other countries
worldwide.
Gripen is designed for the future of air combat, it has a maximum
speed of Mach 2 and is supersonic at all altitudes. The designation JAS stands
for Jakt (Fighter), Attack and Spaning (Reconnaissance). It has been described
as being the first generation of new multi-role fighters to enter service worldwide
and it's said to combine "high performance, outstanding manoeuvrability and
fully integrated information and weapons systems for all air combat situations".
With its relatively low price of US$ 25 million, Gripen is being credited for
its low acquisition costs, low support requirements, as well as low operating
and through-life costs. Its advanced flight control system is also said to make
the aircraft easier and safer to fly than previous generations of fighters.
 A
total of four Gripen aircraft have however crashed, which is still a substantially
low figure for a fighter jet. In 1989 a prototype crashed during landing, and
in 1993 a Gripen crashed dramatically in central Stockholm during an air show.
The pilot,same man on both occasions, ejected safely and no one on theground was
seriously injured. In 1999, another fighter went down during a dog fight exercise,
after getting too close to the other aircraft's tail vortex. This year,.a JAS
39A Gripen mysteriously crashed in the Baltic Sea, an incident which is still
under investigation. .....
By Erik Sellen
Links
SAAB
Group
Saab Ericsson
Space
Gripen International
BAE Systems
Ericsson
Microwave Systems
European
Space Agency
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