Saab (Järfälla, Sweden) has received two contracts from Airbus Defence and Space worth an aggregate €549 million to supply a variant of its Arexis electronic warfare (EW) sensor suite for Luftwaffe Eurofighter combat aircraft.
The contracts, running through to 2028, come after the German government in October 2025 confirmed an order for 20 new-build Eurofighters Tranche 5 aircraft.
Saab’s first contract, valued at approximately €291 million, is a continuation of an earlier contract signed with Airbus Defence and Space in March 2024 for the integration of the Arexis self/protection emitter locator suite on the Eurofighter EK (Elektronischer Kampf) variant. A total of 15 out of the 38 Tranche 4 aircraft being delivered under the so-called Quadriga contract will be modified to Eurofighter EK standard to replace the Tornado ECR in the suppression of enemy air defense role from 2030.
Saab is the incumbent supplier of the EW system equipping the Tornado ECR aircraft. Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support in June 2023 announced that it had selected the Arexis EW sensor for Eurofighter EK Step 1 following a market survey activity involving a range of European and international EW suppliers.
The adaptation of Eurofighter Tranche 4 aircraft to the EK Step 1 configuration will be undertaken by Airbus Defence and Space. As well as the Arexis sensor suite – installed in wingtip pods – these aircraft will be equipped with the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile. A projected EK Step 2 standard is intended to add an escort jammer in the mid-2030s timeframe.
The latest contract to Saab extends the company’s scope of supply to also include the delivery of Arexis EW sensor suites for the 20 new Eurofighter Tranche 5 aircraft.
A second contract, which includes an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform developed by Saab and its strategic AI partner Helsing (Munich, Germany), is worth about €258 million and remains subject to authority approval. Helsing’s AI-based EW software – known as Cirra – is intended to provide near-instantaneous detection, measurement and characterization of radar threats, including unknown emitters, as well as very high accuracy emitter location. – R. Scott
