On 2–4 May, Swiss test pilots and engineers from armasuisse, the Swiss equivalent of the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, were at Saab in Linköping to test fly the JAS Gripen E/F Test aircraft.

The three-day programme included training in a simulator and four test flights. The flights were focused on air defence and surveillance using different weapon configurations. The aircraft started and landed at Linköping Airport and the flights largely took place over the Baltic Sea at altitudes of between sea level up to a height of 12 000 meters.

The flights are part of the procurement process that has been under way since the Swiss government decided last November to choose JAS 39 E/F as its future combat aircraft. The Swiss authorities are negotiating with Saab and the Swedish Defence and Security Export Agency to find the best opportunities for cooperation and coordination.

Read more on the Swiss Ministry of Defence website (in German or French): http://www.vbs.admin.ch/internet/vbs/fr/home/documentation/news/news_detail.44427.nsb.html
Read more on the Saab Group website (in English):
http://www.saabgroup.com/en/About-Saab/Newsroom/Press-releases–News/2012—5/Swiss-pilots-fly-Gripen-EF-Test-Aircraft-in-Sweden/

During the visit, the staff from FXM met the Head of the Air Base, Group Captain Ingela Mathiasson, and other representatives from the broad activities of the base. Among the subjects discussed were export support issues with regard to Gripen and a visit was also made to the Transport and Special Flying Unit.

Liutenant colonel Anders Nyström and Lieutenant Filip Panagiotids and staff from FXM in front of a Hercules aircraft that is being prepared for Afghanistan. Photo: FXM

A South African pilot photographed during a break in the exercise. Photo: FXM

Just now, the largest Gripen exercise ever is underway at F17 in Ronneby. For just under two weeks, air forces from all the countries that fly JAS 39 Gripen have gathered for the Lion Effort exercise.

The purpose is to exchange experience and knowledge of each other’s operational use and to share ideas about air safety. An additional aim is to enable joint development of the Gripen system.

Fourteen Gripen aircraft are taking part from Sweden. The Czech Republic, Hungary and South Africa are in place with four Gripen aircraft each. Thailand has no aircraft in place but is participating with six observers.

The participants train a number of different procedures, ranging from air combat against opponents that are out of sight to ground troops support. The exercise is unique in the sense that the participants can completely focus on learning and cooperating within one and the same system.

FXM is responsible for the intergovernmental Gripen agreements with Thailand, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Defence attachés and staff from FXM. Photo: FXM

FXM was the host of a training course for five incoming attachés when they visited FXM on Friday, 23 March.

Training of the attaches, which is coordinated by the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MUST), comprises a total of six months (January to June) and is directed at Swedish defence attachés who are to work abroad. Sweden has both resident and non-resident defence attachés. Three of the attachés who participated in the training will be accredited in Warsaw. The remainder are non-resident attachés, accredited in Seoul and The Hague. The course programme at FXM consisted partly of information about FXM, and partly of time for a dialogue and discussion with those responsible for countries and regions at the agency.

Czech Jas-39 Gripen aircraft pilots are practising in-flight refuelling in Ronneby, Sweden, for the first time. This is a step on the way to full NATO-cooperation.

Two Czech pilots underwent the theoretical part of the training at the Ronneby base on Monday, February 28. The following day, they trained practical re-fuelling from the Swedish tanker C-130 Hercules in the presence of a Swedish instructor aboard a two-seat version of the aircraft. The Gripen was connected with the tanker seven times. The first contacts were only training ones while fuel was drawn in the three remaining ones.

The Czech air force now has 14 Gripen fighters that were leased from Sweden for ten years until 2015. The Swedish and Czech government decided recently to discuss the continuation of this pattern after 2015.

In-flight-refuelling. Photo: Stefan Kalm

On Tuesday 7 February, FXM held a seminar in Karlskoga. The aim of the seminar was to provide companies in the defence industry with a picture of future EU and NATO capability needs. Some eighty participants from 35 different companies took part.
“The Swedish defence equipment industry is well-prepared for the major changes that are underway in Europe,” said Minister for Defence Sten Tolgfors, who was one of the day’s speakers.
 
The Minister for Defence spoke, among other things, about the extensive cuts in defence and the great need for defence reform that await many countries in Europe. Sweden is one of the few exceptions.
“Our budget is unchanged and we have already implemented extensive reforms in the field of defence. This means that we are well-equipped for the future. At a time when prices and the capacity to cooperate are becoming more and more important, Swedish defence companies are better prepared than others. There are now also opportunities for new partnerships between the state and the industry,” said the Minister for Defence, thus referring to the decision to establish FXM.
 
The day’s first speaker was Karl Engelbrektson, Representative to the Military Committee of the European Union and NATO. He discussed Europe’s role in the world and the complexity that has accompanied globalisation. He concluded his speech by giving tips to entrepreneurs on the way in which he would have reasoned, had he been working in the Swedish defence industry (you can read these tips in Swedish in Karl Engelbrektson’s presentation, here).

Minister for Defence Sten Tolgfors was one of the speakers, seen talking here to other participants at the seminar. Photo: Johan Ullman

 
Tommy Åkesson of the Delegation of Sweden to NATO in Brussels spoke about the EU’s and Sweden’s relations with NATO. He, like other speakers that day, considered that trends in Europe are moving towards specialisation. Countries will be focusing their capabilities on certain areas, such as land or air, and will be allowing other countries to assist them in the sectors in which they lack skills.
“This specialisation is closely connected with trust and a dependence on NATO’s Article 5 concerning mutual defence guarantees”.

The European Defence Agency (EDA)
Peter Scaruppe and Susanne Andersson from the EDA described the EDA’s objectives and work, and opportunities for Swedish companies to collaborate with the EDA. Among other things, the EDA has an electronic bulletin board where defence-buying organisations publish their defence contract opportunities. Since the bulletin board was introduced six years ago, 1 200 defence contract opportunities have been published.
Research grants
Johan Lindberg, from the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA) spoke about the support and research funds that are available from the seventh EU framework programme for research and development. He stated that 22 per cent of these funds go to small enterprises.
During the year, EUR 300 million will be distributed. The call for applications will be published in the summer,” said Johan Lindberg. (You can read Johan Lindberg’s presentation here.)
 

Part of the panel. Photo: Johan Ullman

Panel debate
After the lectures, a panel debate was held with representatives of ministries, agencies and companies. Participants in the panel, apart from the speakers, included Cecilia Loström from the Ministry of Defence, Mats Olofsson from the Swedish Armed Forces, Anders Sjöborg who is Chief Legal Officer at the Defence Materiel Administration, Carl-Henrik Arvidsson from Saab (presentation) and Jan-Olov Blix from BAE Systems (presentation).

Karin Kronhöffer from FXM was the seminar moderator. Picture: Johan Ullman

 
Conference programme in swedish

A successful premier flight with the first of the six Gripen aircraft that are part of phase 2 of Thailand’s order was undertaken in the last few days.

Thailand’s Air Force (RTAF) ordered six Gripen aircraft four years ago. Delivery of the six aircraft took place last summer. Two years later, Thailand submitted an order for a further six aircraft. It is the first of these planes that undertook its premier flight this week.

The next Gripen aircraft is expected to fly later in February, and all six aircraft are to be in the air before the New Year. The planes will be delivered to the Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and will be flown for a period in Sweden for material systems testing before being delivered to Thailand.

FXM Director-General Ulf Hammarström was a speaker at the European Defence Agency (EDA) annual conference in Brussels. The theme of the conference was “Refocusing defence: a European perspective on defence cooperation in a time of financial challenge”, and was directed at defence experts from European governments, EU institutions, industry and think-tanks.

 
The primary task of the EDA is to support European cooperation in the field of defence equipment. The conference was opened by Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the area of responsibility to which the EDA belongs. She spoke about the financial crisis affecting many EU countries, and the way in which this crisis is leading to defence budget cuts.

 
“This EDA conference therefore reflects this shift in how we want to tackle the challenges we face: by doing more together and doing it better; by looking for greater efficiencies and value for money; by pooling and sharing of military capabilities. This is the only pragmatic way forward given the growing demand for the European Union to become a more capable, coherent and strategic global actor”.

“Pooling and sharing” is a matter of countries acquiring and operating certain systems together.

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, during her speech at the EDA conference. Picture: EDA

The Libyan operation: a good example of cooperation
Catherine Ashton’s opening speech was followed by a speech by the Belgian Minister of Defence, Pieter de Crem. Mr de Crem emphasised the importance of cooperation and welcomed greater pooling and sharing. In his opinion, this is a process that must be driven by the EU Member States. Pieter de Crem stressed the operation in Libya as another good example of when the EU has successfully coordinated its initiatives.

The seminar was divided into three panel discussions, where different aspects of defence cooperation were discussed. Some well-known names among speakers and those taking part in the panels were Sweden’s Ambassador Olof Skoog, the Permanent Chair of the EU Political and Security Committee, General Stéphane Abrial, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, and Klaus Eberhardt, President of the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASDE). The Hungarian Deputy State Secretary Gábor Márki acted as moderator for the discussion “Effective defence collaboration – a business case for Europe”. In this panel too, the advantages of pooling and sharing were emphasised.

“The financial crisis can provide unique opportunities”
Ulf Hammarström spoke on the theme “The global market – an opportunity and a necessity”. In his speech, Ulf Hammarström emphasised the importance of exposing the European defence industry to competition in order to make it competitive and enable it to survive.

FXM Director-General Ulf Hammarström during the EDA conference.

“We must be ready to truly embrace fair and open competition to achieve a level playing field. This means that trade regulations should be equally implemented and trade barriers eliminated. At the same time, we must recognise the particularities of the defence market and deal with them wisely.
Security of supply is important, but carries a price”.

He also stated that the financial crisis and reduced defence budgets may provide the EU countries with unique opportunities to consolidate their industries and cooperate with each other.
“Europe cannot sustain its industry and competence if investments decrease. New markets are a necessity and this is the reason why companies expand their businesses abroad”.

The defence market is global
Ulf Hammarström also took part in the subsequent panel debate, moderated by one of the former EDA Chief Executives, Nick Whitney. Other participants in the panel included Robert Regan from the British Ministry of Defence, Marco R. Fuchs, CEO of the European space and technology group OHB AG, and Patrick Bellouard, from the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR). Several of the speakers stressed the importance of research and development, and stated that the response to the question of whether the defence market is now global must, of course, be yes. According to the participants in the panel debate, what is important now is to find approaches to maintain a strong, competitive European industrial base in the future, where exports also mean the transfer of technology to, and partnerships with, countries outside Europe.

The Swedish Defence and Security Export Agency (FXM) has negotiated an extension of the JAS 39 Gripen agreement with Hungary. The new agreement is extended until 2026. The agreement was signed today in Stockholm by FXM Director-General Ulf Hammarström and Director-General Gyula Keszthelyi of Hungary’s Armament and Quartermaster Office.

 “We are pleased that Hungary has taken a long-term strategic decision to continue to use Gripen and thus chosen continued partnership with Sweden and the other Gripen users,” said Ulf Hammarström in connection with the signing of the agreement.

 Apart from sharing the costs of operations, maintenance and development, Sweden and Hungary conduct joint exercises. Hungary supported the Swedish Air Force in connection with the Libyan operation. In its capacity as NATO member, Hungary has also worked together with Sweden on introducing interoperable NATO functions within the Gripen system.

A lease-purchase agreement between Hungary and Sweden regarding 14 Gripen aircraft was entered into in 2001. All the aircraft were delivered during 2006 and 2007. The current agreement would have expired in 2016, but the countries have now thus chosen to extend their cooperation for a further ten years.

Gripen is operated by air forces in Sweden, Hungary, the Czech Republic, South Africa and Thailand. Switzerland announced in November 2011 that it intends to purchase 22 Gripen aircraft.

For further information, please contact:

Sofia Karlberg, Head of Communications. Tel: +46 766 21 93 11

The signing of the contract. To the left sitting is Gyula Keszthelyi, Director-General of Hungary’s Armament and Quartermaster Office. Standing behind him is Hungarian Minister of Defence Csaba Hende. To the right sitting is Ulf Hammarström, Director-General of FXM. Standing behind him is Swedish Minister of Defence Sten Tolgfors. Photo: Stefan Holm

On 6–8 December, the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2011 was held in Malaysia. FXM participated as part of the Swedish delegation, together with representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish Armed Forces. The aim was to support Swedish defence industry companies on the spot, and to learn more about the region’s defence market. The exhibited aircraft included two Gripen aircraft from the Royal Thai Air Force.

In connection with the exhibition, FXM and the Swedish Armed Forces met the Swedish support group for Gripen in Thailand, to learn about their experiences. This support group, which is primarily manned by staff from the Swedish Armed Forces, is tasked with supporting Thailand in the introduction of the Gripen system.

Part of the Swedish delegation with the Swedish Gripen support group. Photo: Johan Staberg