In what would represent a surprising development if it materializes, Swedish company Saab is reportedly considering Canada as a possible location to carry out the production of 150 Gripen E fighters that could equip the Ukrainian Air Force — a move intended to meet this demand more rapidly in the near future. The news was hinted at in reports from Canadian media outlets, which speculated that the company’s CEO, Micael Johansson, stated in recent interviews that the number of aircraft requested by Kyiv would double Saab’s current production needs.
Expanding on the details, the reports indicate that, for the reasons mentioned above, Saab would need to establish new production facilities to handle the increased workload. While not specifying a location, it was reported that the company is also evaluating potential candidates in Europe to host these facilities. However, Canada stands out as one of the main options due to Saab’s existing ties related to the GlobalEye system, which is based on the Canadian-built Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft.
On this matter, Canadian Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly stated to local media: “I have been actively working with Saab to see what can be done to establish more partnerships with Canada, and it starts with the GlobalEye surveillance aircraft. But we are also willing to see what we can do to help Ukraine (…) We share the same stance on the security of Europe and Ukraine, and we agree on the importance of our aerospace sector, so I believe there is an excellent partnership between Canada and Sweden that we can further strengthen.”
It is worth recalling that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself visited Sweden to sign a Letter of Intent that would allow his country to pursue the acquisition of the aforementioned 150 Gripen E fighters. These aircraft would significantly reinforce the fleet of U.S.-made F-16s and French Mirage 2000-5s. For Kyiv, the Gripen E represents not only a valuable combat platform in terms of its technical capabilities and compatibility with currently available weapon systems, but also one that can seamlessly integrate with other Saab-built aircraft already transferred to the country—specifically, the Saab 340 airborne early warning aircraft.
Finally, it is also important to consider that the Royal Canadian Air Force itself is reportedly evaluating the Gripen E as a potential candidate for its own fleet, which could come at the expense of the major order for 88 U.S.-made F-35 stealth fighters. The agreement, valued at more than 27.7 billion dollars, is currently under thorough review by the Canadian government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, following growing tensions over Washington’s new tariff policies. In this context, Saab’s evaluation could also be seen as a way to sweeten its proposal to supply fighters to Ottawa.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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