Saab to Establish US Manufacturing Facility for Proposed USAF Trainer Aircraft With Boeing

Saab has announced plans to set up a production facility in the U.S. for a trainer aircraft the Sweden-based company and its partner Boeing proposed for the U.S. Air Force‘s T-X program.

Saab said Monday it has begun to identify and assess potential sites for the new aircraft manufacturing facility to be established in the U.S. should the Boeing-Saab team win the T-X contract.

“The Boeing and Saab T-X is designed and purpose built for the USAF training mission, so we believe that the entire aircraft, including our part, should also be manufactured in the U.S.” said Hakan Buskhe, president and CEO of Saab.

Buskhe said the establishment of a new U.S. production facility would help Saab expand its presence in the country.

Saab has seven offices in four states and Washington, D.C., and maintains U.S. presence across the areas of radars and sensors, training and simulation, 3D mapping, homeland security, air traffic management, signature management and support services.

The Air Force seeks to replace its aging fleet of T-38 trainer planes through the T-X program and expects to award the contract by the end of 2017.