Common Questions

What is the GUTE II contract Saab won from Sweden?

Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration awarded Saab a SEK 2.6 billion contract for a mobile Counter-UAS system combining the Giraffe 1X radar, Trackfire remote weapon stations, and electronic warfare effectors, with deliveries beginning in 2027.Source: Lowdown drones-industry-defence Update 10

What does Saab make for counter-drone defence?

Saab makes the Giraffe family of mobile air-surveillance radars, including the Giraffe 1X, which is the core sensor in its Counter-UAS packages. It combines radar with Trackfire remote weapon stations and electronic warfare effectors.Source: Lowdown drones-industry-defence Update 10

Is Saab a NATO supplier?

Yes. Saab's Giraffe radars are in service with more than 20 nations, many of them NATO members. Sweden itself joined NATO in 2024, and the GUTE II contract is explicitly tied to Sweden's new NATO interoperability requirements.Source: Lowdown drones-industry-defence

Background

Saab AB is a Swedish defence and aerospace group headquartered in Linköping, generating roughly SEK 27 billion in annual sales across air, land, sea, and cyber domains. In May 2026 Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) awarded Saab a SEK 2.6 billion GUTE II contract for a mobile Counter-UAS system combining the Giraffe 1X radar, Trackfire remote weapon stations, and electronic warfare effectors, with deliveries from 2027.

Founded in 1937 as Svenska Aeroplan AB, Saab built its defence credentials through the JAS 39 Gripen fighter, the GlobalEye surveillance aircraft, and the Carl-Gustaf recoilless rifle. Its Giraffe family of mobile radars is in service with more than 20 nations, making Saab Europe's dominant supplier of tactical air-surveillance radar for counter-drone and air-defence missions. The company lists on Nasdaq Stockholm (Saab B).

On 30 June 2026 Saab signed a SEK 24.6 billion contract with FMV for 16 Gripen E fighters destined for Ukraine, with deliveries in 2029-2030 and the order booked in the third quarter of 2026. Combined with the GUTE II radar award, the deal places Saab at the centre of Sweden's dual role as a NATO ally arming Ukraine while modernising its own air defences, as the Baltic drone incursion series accelerates procurement across Scandinavia.

More questions

What is Saab's role in the Baltic drone crisis?

Saab's Giraffe 1X radar is the primary air-surveillance sensor selected for Sweden's GUTE II Counter-UAS programme. As Baltic drone incursions escalate, Saab's mobile radar systems are being procured and deployed to address the threat.Source: Lowdown drones-industry-defence Update 10

Is Saab sending fighter jets to Ukraine?

Yes. On 30 June 2026 Saab signed a SEK 24.6 billion contract with Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for 16 Gripen E fighters destined for Ukraine, with deliveries scheduled for 2029-2030.Source: Lowdown

Source Material

Saab AB — Official Site

How the World Sees Them

Russia

Russia's drone campaign across the Baltic has directly accelerated Saab's order book; Russian electronic warfare jamming is the primary threat environment the GUTE II system is designed for.

Sweden

Saab is the preferred national champion for Sweden's defence radar and C-UAS requirements; the GUTE II award confirms the government's preference for domestic supply over US or UK alternatives.

NATO allies

NATO procurement offices view Saab's Giraffe family as a proven interoperable sensor baseline; the GUTE II contract creates a reference architecture for Baltic member-state C-UAS programmes.