Saab signs Gripen E equipment deal with Sweden

Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Saab Defense has signed a multi-million dollar contract with Sweden's Defense and Material organization for new equipment for Gripen E fighter aircraft.

The contract -- a supplemental to a 2013 deal -- is worth more than $46.9 million and requires Saab to supply new equipment for existing and new E variants of the planes.

Under the 2013 agreement for development and modernization of the Gripen, some equipment already in service was to be reused but that has now changed.

"Saab, FMV and the Swedish Armed Forces have agreed on the terms of the contract based on the relevant needs and deliveries," Jonas Hjelm, senior vice president and head of Saab's Aerronautics business area, said in a press release. "This joint approach is intended to secure availability so that the Swedish Armed Forces can keep the Gripen C/D fleet in operational service while Gripen E is being delivered and put into operational service in the Swedish air force."

The specific equipment to be supplied by Saab was not disclosed, although the company said his is a first step in changing the structure of the Gripen E production for the Swedish air force.

The Gripen first came into service in 1997. It is a single-engine aircraft with a maximum speed of 1,370 miles per hour at altitude and a combat radius of 432 nautical miles.