Saab Says Its Own AI Agents Have Flown Gripen E in Beyond-Visual-Range Trials
Sixteen months after a Gripen E flew on Helsing's Centaur agent, Saab says it owns the agents, the training academy and the supercomputer behind them, with Swedish operational adoption still ahead.
Sixteen months after a Gripen E flew on Helsing's Centaur agent, Saab says it owns the agents, the training academy and the supercomputer behind them, with Swedish operational adoption still ahead.
AI agents developed in-house have flown aboard Gripen E, and one autonomously controlled the fighter in beyond-visual-range combat scenarios under real flight conditions, Saab said Nov. 3. The company disclosed no sortie counts, flight dates or locations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Saab announce on Nov. 3?
That AI agents developed in-house have flown aboard Gripen E and that one agent autonomously controlled the fighter in beyond-visual-range combat scenarios under real flight conditions, per Saab's press release.
How is this different from the 2025 Helsing flights?
In June 2025 Saab and Helsing announced that a Gripen E flew with Helsing's Centaur agent under Project Beyond. This time the agents, the training environments and the development tools are Saab's own, the company says.
What is the AI Fighter Pilot Academy?
Saab's in-house framework for creating, training and evaluating AI agents in simulation before flight, accumulating millions of simulated flight hours, according to the Saab release.
Where does the computing power come from?
Partly from Sferical AI, a Swedish sovereign computing venture Saab co-founded. Nilsson said its supercomputer can run a one-hour simulated flight the equivalent of one billion times, against 1,200 on CPU-based systems.
When could the agents enter Swedish service?
Nilsson told a media briefing the agents are ready for operational deployment and that adoption depends on FMV and the air force, which he put at "months, or single digits of years," AIN reported.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
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Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.