Finnish-Developed Payload Strengthens Offer for HX
Saab’s recent offer of the GRIPEN E to fulfil Finland’s HX fighter procurement requirements includes an advanced EW system that consists of a newly-developed electronic attack jammer pod and a decoy missile system.
The new missile system, dubbed the Lightweight Air-launched Decoy Missile, will work alongside the new electronic attack jammer pod, which Saab began flight-testing in 2019, to ensure that Finnish pilots will be protected from hostile radars and missiles. It will be a highly capable stand-in jammer for the most demanding missions and will act as a force multiplier, as it reduces the number of missiles and aircraft required to complete a mission. The decoy missile can jam or create false targets for acquisition, tracking, fire control and airborne radars.
“Our offering to Finland, combining GRIPEN E/F and GlobalEye as force multipliers, will protect Finland’s people and borders, by delivering both comprehensive situational awareness and a true deterrence effect […] the decoy missile, that we present today, will constitute a strong addition to GRIPEN E/F’s built-in electronic attack capabilities. The payload of the new decoy missile is to a large extent developed in Finland and this will strengthen our offer to Finland even further,” commented Jonas Hjelm, Senior VP and Head of Saab’s Aeronautics business area.
The development of the new missile means that Saab will expand its Technology Centre in Tampere, Finland, adding more highly-skilled employees. Saab has already established a strong technical partnership with Aalto University, where over ten research projects are under way in advanced sensors and artificial intelligence.
