A factory for the production of Gripen fighters may appear in Ukraine

This was stated by the company's CEO Mikael Johansson.

According to Johansson, the contract with Ukraine for 100-150 fighters will double Saab's needs for the production of Gripen aircraft, even though the company has invested in the ability to produce about 20-30 of these fighters per year in Brazil.

During wartime, it's not that easy, but it would be great to create capacity for at least final assembly and testing, and perhaps even for the production of some parts in Ukraine.

Saab's CEO also announced the company's plans to increase capacity in Brazil, as well as possibly in Canada and European countries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson signed a letter of intent last week to purchase Gripen fighters, but funding has not yet been agreed.

Ukraine has received several American F-16 fighter jets, but the Gripen aircraft are considered more suitable for Kyiv's needs because they were designed to fight Russia, can take off and land from conventional runways, and have more flexibility and lower maintenance requirements than American aircraft.

Kristersson has discussed potential financing for the deal with other EU leaders. Johansson said one option is to use some of Russia's frozen assets if officials can reach an agreement on the issue. The bloc is currently facing resistance from Belgium over accessing those funds.

A solution needs to be found regarding the financing, which is currently being discussed at the political level: what burden Sweden will take on in terms of financing and risk, what part can be shared between the countries, and what part can be used from confiscated Russian assets. This is not 100% clear yet.

Sas Tusa, an aerospace and defense analyst at Agency Partners, said Saab has “a better chance of doing this than many others.” He added that the peak production of Gripen aircraft was about 18 units per year, and Saab is currently producing “a little more than half of that.” The most difficult thing, he said, is to exceed historical production levels.

Doubling production, according to Tusa, would allow Saab to exceed this historical maximum, but the Gripen fighter has a "differentiated supply chain."