Sweden contracts Saab for further KFS future fighter studies

An artist's rendering of a future fighter design concept that Saab is working on for Sweden's KFS/FCAS programme. (Saab via Gareth Jennings)

Saab has received an order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (Försvarets materielverk: FMV) for continued conceptual studies for future fighter systems.

The company announced the award on 14 October, saying it has been granted a further SEK2.6 billion (USD274 million) for studies from 2025 to 2027.

“The order includes conceptual studies of manned and unmanned solutions in a system-of-systems perspective, and technology development and demonstrators. Saab will continue to collaborate closely with FMV, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Defence Research Agency, GKN Aerospace, and other industry partners. The order is an extension and expansion of the original contract signed in March 2024,” Saab said.

News of the award came 19 months after the FMV contracted Saab and GKN in March 2024 to provide it with the basis for future fighter decisions based on studies, technology development, and preparations for demonstrators. With Phase 1 of the project addressing concept exploration, Phase 2, addressing technology and demonstrator development, will run through to 2030. Further development follows from 2031.

Janes and other defence media were told in May 2024 that Saab was then preparing to deliver to the Swedish government concept options related to the country's plans to field a future fighter aircraft in the post-Gripen timeframe. Peter Nilsson, head of Saab's new Advanced Programs business division, said the effort is known as KFS (no direct transliteration was given, but it likely stands for Konceptet Framtidens Stridsflyg [Future Combat Aircraft Concept]). A Saab briefing slide also referred to it as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

For more information on Sweden's future fighter plans, please see