Saab to integrate Meteor missiles onto Gripen E fighters

LINKOPING, Sweden, Dec. 18 (UPI)

Saab of Sweden is integrating MBDA's Meteor missile system on Gripen E fighter aircraft under a contract from the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration.

The order from FMV for integration of the beyond-line-of-sight, air-to-air weapon system is worth nearly $29.3 million.

Saab said the order is in addition to an FMV contract issued in February for development and modification of the Gripen E, a multi-role fighter produced by Saab.

"The additional order secures the implementation of integration of the weapon system Meteor for Gripen E," said Ulf Nilsson, head of Saab's Gripen product unit. "It also confirms Gripen's position as the leading fighter system with a flexible design that offers great possibilities to integrate new capabilities."

Meteor, manufactured by France-based MBDA, was developed under a collaborative project involving Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Britain. At the end of June 2013 Saab, in cooperation with FMV, conducted the first test firing of the serial production configuration of Meteor.