Saab has revealed a full-scale model of a stealthy supersonic unmanned fighter concept that could eventually operate alongside the Gripen E and other assets in Sweden’s future air combat system.
Known as A3, the aircraft was displayed at Malmen Air Base in Linköping, Sweden, during events marking the Swedish Air Force’s 100th anniversary. Saab invited aviation journalists to see the model and receive a technical briefing ahead of the public celebrations.
Despite images showing what appears to be a complete aircraft on the flight line, A3 is a full-scale mock-up rather than a flying prototype.
The project behind it, however, already includes two actual aircraft.
Saab is developing two unmanned technology demonstrators, A1 and A2, under a program funded by Sweden’s FMV defense materiel administration. The first is expected to fly within the next 15 months.
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A1 will use a GE Aerospace F414 turbofan producing around 22,000 lbf (98 kN) of thrust, from the same engine family used by the Gripen E. Saab says one of the objectives is to demonstrate that it can rapidly develop and manufacture a low-observable unmanned aircraft.
Sweden established a particularly short development cycle, giving Saab 36 months to progress from concept to the first flight.
The A1 will include space for an internal weapons bay but will not conduct weapons launches. The subsequent A2 is intended to test additional technologies, including new materials, sensors and a functional internal weapons bay. It will also be powered by an F414.
A3 points toward operational aircraft
The A3 displayed at Malmen is not simply a production version of either demonstrator. Instead, it illustrates how technologies developed with A1 and A2 could be combined in a future operational aircraft.
Saab is targeting the higher-performance end of the collaborative combat aircraft market. The concept combines low observability, internal weapons carriage and supersonic performance rather than emphasizing a low-cost expendable platform.
The company describes the aircraft as part of an Unmanned Fighter System capable of cooperating with crewed fighters and other assets across several domains. Operating alongside the Gripen is one possibility, although the concept is not limited to acting as a conventional “loyal wingman.”
Sweden has not yet ordered development of A3. Current work on the technology demonstrators extends through the end of the decade, when the country is also expected to make broader decisions about the future of its combat-air capabilities.
If Sweden proceeds with an operational aircraft, Saab believes a system derived from the current work could enter service around the middle of the 2030s.
For now, the next significant step will come from A1 rather than the impressive aircraft displayed at Malmen. Its planned first flight will move Sweden’s unmanned fighter effort from full-scale models to an actual supersonic test aircraft.
