Sweden has begun studies to define the concept of a 6th generation fighter

In November, Sweden confirmed that it would not participate in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), to which it had been admitted as an observer. More specifically, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Kingdom in 2019, which then aimed to explore “joint development possibilities” in combat aviation.

At the time, London wanted to bring together partners around its sixth-generation “Tempest” combat aircraft program, unveiled a year earlier. Since then, Italy and Japan have joined the project. The Swedish decision is undoubtedly linked to industrial issues. “Our involvement was not as intense as we initially thought,” Michael Johansson, Saab’s CEO, revealed in August 2022.

After abandoning the GCAP, could Sweden join the SCAF (Future Air Combat System), a program jointly run by France, Germany and Spain? This hypothesis could have been put forward without being supported by the slightest concrete element. And for good reason: Stockholm clearly intends to go it alone.

While Airbus CEO Guillaume Fourie recently urged in favor of a merger of the SCAF and GCAP programs to “not repeat the mistakes of the past” when “resources were distributed between three competing aircraft” (Raphael, Gripen, Eurofighter), the Swedish Defense Material Administration (FMV) It has just awarded a contract to Saab and British equipment maker GKN Aerospace to carry out “conceptual” studies with a view to developing a new fighter jet.

“The objective is to provide a basis for decision-making on the future of combat aviation beyond 2040,” FMV said through a press release issued on March 22. For its part, Saab has clarified that it will conduct a “conceptual study of piloted and unpiloted solutions from a systems perspective”.

In this area, Sweden is not starting from a blank sheet: in addition to the experience gained with the JAS-39 Gripen, Saab participated in the nEUROn combat drone program created under the project management of Dassault Aviation. No doubt this will make it possible to establish a bridge with the SCAF if Stockholm decides to launch its own 6th generation combat aircraft project.

“Saab is in a strong position and, having recently developed the Gripen E and the GlobalI, we have the cutting-edge technology and engineering know-how needed to advance the concept of the future fighter,” Lars Tossmann also argued. The aeronautical branch of the Swedish group.

In addition, Saab intends to develop partnerships around “emerging and disruptive technologies that will play an important role in future combat aircraft systems”. To do this, it intends to rely on the “Swedish Government’s Defense Innovation Initiative” as well as the “NATO Defense Innovation Accelerator”.

Photo: Saab