Saab awarded $64 million contract for UAV system by Swedish Defence

Defence and security company Saab has received an order worth approximately MSEK 500 from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for a Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle system (TUAV). Saab will deliver two complete TUAV systems, including the aircraft, ground stations, intelligence units and ancillary equipment. The order means that Saab will assume an overall commitment for the system. This includes operating the system over three years, as well as the training of personnel, the provision of equipment, technical maintenance and spare parts. Final delivery of the systems will take place in the fourth quarter of 2011. The type of unmanned aerial vehicle will be a Shadow 200 from the AAI Corporation. "This order confirms the logic behind our single-minded efforts within UAV technology. By combining a well-recognised aircraft with systems and cutting edge technology developed for Gripen, we are able to offer our customer a highly adapted system without the need for a host of new development. This also means we can promise a very short delivery time, which is important for our customer since they have a tremendous need for this system. Our strong partnership with FMV provides a firm basis for together being able to satisfy the Swedish Armed Forces", says Lennart Sindahl, business area manager for Aeronautics within Saab.