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Swedish company Saab says it’s hoping to partner with the federal government and Canadian businesses to develop systems for the next generation of aerial warfare as it pursues deals to supply Ottawa with new aircraft.
The company intends to produce Gripen fighters and GlobalEye surveillance planes on Canadian soil if they are purchased by the Canadian Armed Forces.
Saab and Sweden hope that these ventures will also lead to a collaboration on designing future military systems.
“As we’re looking ahead, we’d really like to work with countries and companies who are willing and interested and have the skill set,” Peter Nilsson, head of future programs at Saab, said in an interview with Radio-Canada.
“Canada would be great.”
Currently, Canada has an order for 88 American F-35s, including a commitment to buy 16 and initial payments made for 14 others. The Carney government is exploring the option of also buying Gripen fighters to create a mixed fleet.
The federal government has discreetly made payments to the U.S. to potentially purchase more F-35 fighter jets than the 16 it has already ordered. CBC News has learned Ottawa has purchased components for another 14 planes.
According to several sources, Sweden and Canada have already started discussions on a possible collaboration on research and development projects. They say the government has not yet made a decision on the matter.
In a statement, the Department of National Defence confirmed that it is “exploring possible future options beyond the current fighter jets.”
There are a handful of projects worldwide to develop what is commonly referred to as “sixth-generation” fighter jets.
According to experts, these piloted aircraft will conduct operations in close collaboration with new generations of drones. They are also expected to integrate artificial intelligence at a higher level and make advances in stealth over the next decades.
The main projects among NATO countries are the F-47, which is led by Boeing in the United States, and a partnership known as GCAP (Global Combat Air Program) between the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan.
Germany, France and Spain have also joined forces behind the Future Combat Air System, but that program hit a period of turbulence and its survival is now in question.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the leadership of the Royal Canadian Air Force is not in favour of the possible purchase of Gripen fighter jets in the near term. In terms of sixth-generation fighters, their preference is joining GCAP, sources said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced Canada’s long-awaited defence industrial plan, setting a goal of awarding 70 per cent of federal defence contracts to Canadian firms within a decade.
Security expert Philippe Lagassé said Canada would benefit from pursuing its plan to acquire a full fleet of F-35s, while simultaneously participating in the development of a fleet of next-generation fighters.
“A mixed fleet of F-35s and a sixth-generation aircraft is probably the optimal solution,” said Lagassé, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University.
In his view, GCAP would allow Canada to assert its independence from American military equipment over the long term, while having access to the advanced capabilities of the F-35 in the short term.
“The problem is that these sixth-generation aircraft will not be developed for another 20 or 30 years,” Lagassé said.
‘Tap into’ civilian side
In 2024, Saab obtained a contract valued at $400 million from the Swedish armed forces to develop the future fighter concept.
The firm said major Canadian companies like Bombardier and CAE have cutting-edge expertise that could be leveraged in the project, as well as many smaller companies in the aerospace and AI sectors.
Nilsson said military companies have long fuelled innovation, but that Saab now wants “to tap into” the creativity and innovation of firms on the civilian side.
He said Canada and Sweden not only share a common worldview, but also have similar needs as northern countries.
“If you drive a convertible in the morning to work, you will have a hard time to design a fighter for the Arctic,” he said.
Saab promises to create approximately 10,000 jobs in Canada if it produces Gripen and GlobalEye aircraft for the Armed Forces, though it has not laid out a timeline for those jobs.
The firm sent senior executives to Ottawa last month for a meeting with the new deputy minister of national defence, Christiane Fox, and Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Saab’s chairman of the board, Marcus Wallenberg, met with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly at the Davos summit in Switzerland in January.
The company’s CEO, Micael Johansson, will be in Canada at the end of the month.
