On Friday 6 October, an important milestone was passed when Saab delivered the first series-produced Gripen E aircraft to FMV, who will now operate the aircraft before eventually handing it over to the Swedish Armed Forces.
- I am very happy and satisfied that we have achieved this important milestone towards deployment. It is an important milestone and more deliveries will follow shortly, says Lars Tossman, head of Saab's Aeronautics business area.
- The delivery means that FMV has now received all parts of the weapon system to independently operate Gripen E, says Mattias Fridh, Head of Delivery Management at Gripen Design. Their technicians have received Gripen E training, and they have initial capabilities for flight line operations and maintenance. Support and training systems have been already delivered, and parts of the support systems delivered in 2022 were upgraded in August to match the new configuration.
- This is a very important step towards deployment in the Swedish Armed Forces in 2025 at F7 Såtenäs, and FMV has now applied for its own flight testing permit from the Swedish Military Aviation Safety Inspectorate. This is the culmination of intensive work in both development and production, where many employees have done a fantastic job.”
