Saab hopes to finalise contracts this year to double its customer base for the Gripen E/F fighter, according to chief executive Micael Johansson.
With the single-engined type already in operation in Brazil and nearing service entry in home nation Sweden, the airframer is eyeing the finalisation of pending deals with Thailand and Colombia.
“Last year, we were selected to negotiate the contract with Thailand. We are in the process of doing that as we speak, and hopefully will finalise that soon,” Johansson said during a first-quarter results call on 25 April. “My ambition is that we will finalise this contract this year,” he adds.
“In March, we were selected to negotiate a contract with Colombia, and hopefully we can expedite that also in the next number of months,” he adds.
Referring to recent local media reports about the prospective deal with Bogota, he says Saab’s proposal is underpinned by a financing offer from the Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK) and Swedish Export Credit Agency (EKN).
“Colombia can use the financing scheme to defer their payments a bit into the future… but we as a company, we will get paid when we deliver to Colombia according to that plan,” he notes.
“We are working hard in both campaigns, and this is a sort of this year-type of objective that we have,” Johansson says.
Bangkok is expected to acquire 12 aircraft, with the Royal Thai Air Force already operating 11 Gripen C/Ds. Colombia has not stated the likely scale of its purchase, but its air force has previously outlined a requirement for 16-24 jets.
Johansson says that successfully concluding agreements with the nations will represent “a big step on getting more customers on the Gripen E, which is an excellent fighter when it comes to lifecycle, cost and performance”.
Another near-term sales opportunity exists elsewhere in Latin America.
“We are campaigning to have the best offer in Peru as well,” he says. “We have given them an offer, and they are evaluating as we speak. I think we should have good chance.
“We are treating that campaign as very important to us. Of course, it helps that we are both in Brazil and negotiating in Colombia. So it creates a good Latin American sort of hub and footprint. I hope we will be successful. We are offering the best we have.”
Saab has so far secured firm contracts to supply Brazil with 36 Gripen E/Fs and Sweden 60 single-seat examples.
