Saab wins South African Gripen Simulator contract

Saab has awarded a contract for delivering a Multi Emitter Environment Simulator for Gripen with a total value of 45 million SEK in South Africa and for product support worth another 44 million SEK. Saab was also awarded an interim support and services contract for the South Africans Air Force’s growing fleet of Gripen C and D advanced fighter aircraft. The agreement covers interim support services for the time until the fleet is fully operational, a Saab press release said. The Interim Product Support contract will be for t 17 months period from the 1st November 2010 covering Maintenance Repair & Overhaul, engineering support services in Sweden or on base in South Africa and resupply of spares. The total value of the contract is 44 MSEK. Saab in South Africa has been contracted to develop and test an interface between the Gripen mission support system and the SAAF current intelligence system. South Africa has ordered 26 Saab Gripen C & D advanced fighter aircraft as part of the strategic defence package. The Gripen programme for South Africa is on track according to the contract. Gripen is being used in real air policing missions, even though the system is neither fully delivered or declared fully operational. The use of Gripen during the FIFA world cup last summer was a great success from this perspective.