Aero India 2025: Sweden’s Saab driving hard on India’s MRFA requirement
New Delhi, February 6. Ahead of the Aero India 2025 show that will start in Bengaluru on February 10, Swedish defence giant Saab made a strong pitch on Thursday to meet India’s requirement for a medium-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) with its Gripen E.
“We look forward to wide ranging discussions with the Indian Air Force on our Gripen E offer,” Mats Palmberg, Chairman and Managing Director of Saab India, said. “We will also be engaging with Indian industry for ‘Make in India’ as well as for discussions on expanding our sourcing from Indian companies which have emerged as suppliers to the world’s foremost aerospace companies.”
India’s requirement for the MRFA arises from the evolving regional security dynamics, the imperative to modernise its air force, and the goal of strengthening indigenous defence capabilities. The procurement of these aircraft is part of a broader strategy to ensure air superiority, deter potential threats, and maintain rapid response capabilities across diverse operational environments, ranging from high-altitude mountainous regions to coastal areas.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is in the process of retiring several aging aircraft that have long been the backbone of the country’s defense but are now outdated and increasingly difficult to maintain. Currently, the IAF operates around 30 fighter squadrons, with aircraft such as the Jaguars, Mirage-2000s, and MiG-29s scheduled for retirement over the next five to seven years. Additionally, the MiG-21s are set to be phased out in the coming months.
Following the cancellation of the original Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender – which was replaced by a direct procurement of 36 Dassault Rafale jets from France for 7.87 billion euros in 2016 – the IAF issued a fresh request for information (RFI) in 2018, commonly referred to as MMRCA 2.0. This new RFI outlined plans to acquire 114 multi-role fighter aircraft under the strategic partnership (SP) model, wherein a foreign manufacturer would collaborate with an Indian company for domestic production.
The RFI specifies that the selected aircraft must be capable of multiple roles, including air superiority, ground attack, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare. Additionally, these must be able to operate from both conventional runways and high-altitude airstrips, a crucial requirement given India’s diverse terrain.
Eight aircraft have responded to the RFI: Saab Gripen E, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Boeing F-15EX Eagle II, Lockheed Martin F-21 (a customised variant of the F-16V with 14 India-specific modifications), Mikoyan MiG-35, and Sukhoi Su-35.
Speaking to the media here, Palmberg said that the Gripen E will be on display at the Aero India show in Bengaluru.
Touting it as the world’s most modern fighter, Saab claims the Gripen E “combines exceptional operational performance, highly advanced networked warfare capability at a whole new level, superior sensor fusion, unique BVR (beyond visual range) features and an adaptability for new threats that is a decade ahead of any other fighter, making it a true game changer”.
Speaking at Thursday’s event, Kent-Ake Molin, Sales and Marketing Director at Saab, said that if the MRFA contract with India is signed, the first aircraft will be delivered within three years.
“We believe in sharing technologies and capabilities,” Molin said. “We built Gripen around electronic warfare capabilities.”
He also said that Saab is in talks with several partners in India to manufacture the Gripen E keeping in line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
“We are ready for rapid deliveries,” Molin said, adding that the Gripen E is the world’s first fully digitalised air fighter.
Apart from the Gripen E aircraft, Saab will also be showcasing the Carl Gustaf M4 man-portable multi-role weapon system that provides high tactical flexibility through its wide range of ammunition types.
Other Saab products that will be on display in Bengaluru will be the AT4CS AST, a lightweight, man-portable, unguided and fully disposable weapon system, the Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW), a shoulder-launched, overfly top attack, anti-tank missile system, Land Electronic Defence System (LEDS), and the r-TWR Deployable, a digital tower that provides high availability, mission-to-mission modularity and flexibility.
