Sweden Expands Future Fighter Studies with Saab Contract worth $270M

Saab has received an order worth about SEK 2.6 billion (~$270 million) from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to continue conceptual studies on future fighter systems between 2025 and 2027.

The contract expands the March 2024 agreement under Sweden’s Koncept för Framtida Stridsflyg (KFS) — the Future Combat Aviation Concept program — and covers studies of manned and unmanned aircraft “in a system-of-systems perspective,” along with technology development and demonstrators. Saab will continue working with FMV, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), GKN Aerospace, and other partners.

Launched in 2023, the KFS program is key to Sweden’s long-term combat aviation roadmap, defining its next-generation air combat capability independently of the U.K.-led Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). Sweden, an early participant in Team Tempest, opted out of GCAP after its 2022 merger with Japan’s F-X project, choosing to assess its own strategic needs shaped by the war in Ukraine, NATO membership, and higher defense spending.

The future concept emphasizes low observability, autonomy, and electronic warfare. Saab has been advancing in these areas, including 2025 test flights where a Gripen E flew with German defense AI firm Helsing’s Centaur agent, which handled tactical decision-making during beyond-visual-range missions.

The new phase will deepen research on AI-enabled and unmanned teaming. Saab has also tested stealthy unmanned configurations and loyal wingman concepts. The funded conceptual phase runs through 2027, with demonstrator development expected from 2026 and a procurement decision around 2031, aligning with Sweden’s modernization plans and the Gripen replacement timeline.