- We welcome the decision and now look forward to the next step in the process. The offer, based on our sensor solution Arexis, is an excellent choice that meets Germany's need for electronic warfare capability for the Eurofighter, says Anders Sjöberg, head of Saab in Germany.
The press release appears to have been prompted by German media reporting on this earlier the same week. Journalist Matthias Gebauer at Der Spiegel tweeted on 13 June that the German Ministry of Defence had chosen Saab together with Helsing for the electronic warfare variant. This was then picked up by German Behörden Spiegel, which covers the German public sector, and wrote an article the same day referring to the Twitter thread.
The company itself describes Arexis as "[...] a modular electronic warfare solution based on advanced hardware and software with sophisticated AI algorithms that provide the user with superior capability in complex electromagnetic environments." This is intended to be used, among other things, to disrupt or suppress enemy air defences (SEAD/DEAD).
Last year, Germany decided to choose the F-35 as its primary combat aircraft. Fifteen of the German Air Force's Eurofighter planes are to be upgraded to perform electronic warfare missions. This role has previously been fulfilled by the Tornado Electronic Countermeasures and Reconnaissance, ECR, in which Saab has previously implemented various systems, but is now to be gradually replaced.
The AI defence company Helsing, which, together with Saab, is to deliver the system, has made headlines in Sweden. Just over two years ago, Spotify founder Daniel Ek invested one billion kronor in the start-up company and took a seat on the board. According to the company's own press release, in light of the Eurofighter news, co-founder Gundbert Scherf says that the war in Ukraine shows that electronic warfare plays a critical role in warfare against comparable adversaries and that AI is now a fundamental role in modern electronic warfare.
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