Saab has indicated plans to expand industrial cooperation with Portugal by exploring the possibility of producing Gripen fighter aircraft components locally if the country chooses the jet to replace its F-16 fleet.
The company noted that OGMA, a Portuguese aerospace firm majority-owned by Brazil’s Embraer, could play a major role in manufacturing parts for the Gripen platform, according to SAPO. Establishing local production would allow Portugal to retain economic benefits such as investment, technology transfer, and skilled jobs if Saab’s aircraft is selected in a future fighter competition.
Saab’s Gripen E/F is expected to compete with aircraft from Lockheed Martin and the Eurofighter consortium to meet the Portuguese Air Force’s modernization requirements, although Lisbon has yet to formally launch the procurement process.
Daniel Boestad, vice president of Saab’s Gripen program, stated that the company is ready to participate once the selection process begins. He also pointed to Saab’s long-standing partnership with Embraer in Brazil, initiated in 2014, as an example of how local industry involvement can strengthen a nation’s defense and aerospace capabilities.
Saab has been expanding similar partnerships worldwide. In February 2024, the company teamed up with the UK-based The Abbey Group to manufacture components for the Barracuda Mobile Camouflage System used on British Army vehicles.
In March 2025, Saab signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukrainian defense firm Radionix to jointly develop sensors and electronic technologies aimed at boosting Ukraine’s defense production capacity.
Later, in September 2025, Saab entered a cooperation agreement with Poland’s WB Group to explore joint work on unmanned aerial systems, naval solutions, and border protection technologies, further strengthening its presence in the regional defense technology ecosystem.
