Saab Unveils High-End A3 Collaborative Combat Aircraft Concept

Ekhbary News Agency | 2024-06-10

Saab has unveiled its advanced A3 collaborative combat aircraft concept, a supersonic, autonomous, and tailless air vehicle designed with a distinctive double-delta wing. This high-end platform aims to serve as a "peer-capable complement" to the Gripen E, with potential for rapid development in the early 2030s. Moreover, the A3 could lay crucial groundwork for Sweden's next generation of crewed combat aircraft, projected for the 2040s, offering a glimpse into the future of aerial warfare.

Saab's Vision for High-End CCAs

The A3 concept notably diverges from the trend of lower-cost, attritable aircraft, such as Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat, aligning instead with more sophisticated designs like the French Rafale/Neuron pairing. Saab contends that collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs) will inevitably evolve towards higher performance, demanding enhanced survivability, advanced sensors, and electronic warfare systems to fulfill increasingly complex missions. For what it's worth, the company emphasizes that Europe’s controlled airspace necessitates certified CCAs, not merely disposable assets deployed from a container during wartime.

Strategic Context and Demonstrator Programs

This unveiling occurs as the Swedish government evaluates options for replacing its Gripen fighters in the 2040s, a decision expected by 2030, possibly even 2028. Peter Nilsson, head of Saab’s advanced programs unit, clarified that the A3 is not a direct Gripen successor but rather an "offer" to integrate the Swedish Air Force into unmanned operations and enhance the Gripen E's combat capabilities. The A3's development, he noted, represents "a good steppingstone for the future fighter, be it manned or unmanned."

Supporting this ambitious vision, Saab is actively prototyping the A1, a supersonic, autonomous, low-observable demonstrator powered by a GE Aerospace F414 engine. This aircraft, slightly larger than a Gripen E, features a conventional delta wing and canted V-tails, with its maiden flight anticipated within 15 months. The A1 will be succeeded by the A2, another F414-powered CCA demonstrator slated for flight towards the end of the decade, which will incorporate an internal weapon bay, a significant advancement for Saab since its World War II-era B17 dive bomber. These demonstrators are funded by Sweden's defense materiel agency, FMV, to inform the broader Swedish Concept Air Program (SWAP) decision.