The company has seven GlobalEye aircraft under contract: three for Sweden, two for France and two for an undisclosed Middle Eastern buyer. Johansson confirmed that the Middle Eastern order came from a new customer, ruling out earlier speculation about additional purchases by the United Arab Emirates.
Saab is offering Canada a second conversion center to help support the higher delivery rate. The facility would also create capacity for other prospective customers.
Reported interest includes one aircraft for the Netherlands and 10 for NATO. Other Scandinavian countries and Poland have also been identified as potential buyers, although these prospects are separate from the existing seven-aircraft order book.
The planned increase would triple annual deliveries. No timetable for reaching six aircraft a year was given in the account of Johansson’s remarks.
Saab booked a SEK 10.1 billion GlobalEye order from an undisclosed customer in the third quarter. Total order bookings reached SEK 65.8 billion, compared with SEK 20.9 billion a year earlier.
“We delivered a quarter marked by high organic sales growth, significantly increased cash flow and strong order bookings,” Johansson said. “The growing customer demand is reflected in major contract awards, including Gripen for Ukraine, GlobalEye and an order related to Germany’s new frigates.”
Those awards included SEK 24.6 billion for Gripen E aircraft for Ukraine and SEK 8.7 billion for systems for German frigates. Group sales reached SEK 20.6 billion, with organic growth of 30.6%.
Operating profit rose 42% to SEK 1.95 billion, and operational cash flow increased to SEK 6.8 billion. Saab said it continued to invest in capabilities and capacity while progressing its existing programs.
