2006-06-22 | “The Sofia office opening shows that SAAB is looking with a sincere interest at Bulgaria and is committed to enhancing its relationship with the Bulgarian institutions, specifically the Ministry of Defence, the Bulgarian Air Force and the Ministry of Economy and the Bulgarian industry”, Daniel Boestad, a marketing manager for Bulgaria and head of the SAAB/ Gripen International office.

“We are confident that what we can offer is close to unique – a wide range of defence and civil security products and systems. Among those are the newest generation multirole NATO-interoperable Gripen fighter, which can meet the future defence requirements of the Bulgarian Air Force, much earlier and at a significantly lower cost than any competitor”, Daniel Boestad added.

“Saab, including Gripen International, enjoys the full support of the Swedish government and along with our industry partners within Investor Group we believe we can tailor a very competitive package - to include a full offset programme and highly flexible financing - around the Gripen fighter and our other defence systems, so that it could be beneficial both for the BAF and the further development of the Bulgarian economy”, Daniel Boestad also said.

Saab and Gripen international are in continuous discussions with BG MoD, MoEE, BAF and other institutions, in order to get further understanding of the requirements and needs of the BAF and to explore cooperation possibilities with the Bulgarian industry.

Gripen International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bulgarian MoD on September 28, 2004 and the opening of a representative office is another step to deepen this cooperation.

Background notes for Editors:
About Saab AB:
Saab is one of the world‘s leading high-technology companies, with its main operations focusing on defence, aviation and space. In 2005 it completed its purchase of 70% of South African Defence and Communications Group Grintek. It is the manufacturer of the Gripen, the first fourth generation fighter jet to be fully operational. The aircraft has been ordered by the South African, Swedish, Czech, and Hungarian air forces, and is a contender in a number of other countries. The group covers a broad spectrum of competence and capabilities in systems integration.
Saab is one of Northern Europe’s largest exporters, with over 75% of its backlog generated through sales outside Sweden. Saab has partnership and collaborative relations with a number of global companies, including Airbus on the A380 Super-jumbo programme, Ericsson, Volvo-Aero, General-Electric. With turnover of USD 2.4 billion the company employs around 13 000 people.

About Gripen:
Gripen is the first of the new generation, multi-role combat aircraft that has entered service. Using the latest available technology it is capable of performing an extensive range of air-to-air and air-to-surface operational missions and employing the latest weapons. Gripen is designed to meet the demands of current and future threats, while at the same time meeting strict requirements for flight safety, reliability, training efficiency and low operating costs. Gripen is in service with the Swedish, Czech Republic and Hungarian Air Forces and has also been ordered by the South African Air Forces. The UK Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) is operating Gripen as its advanced fast jet platform for test pilots worldwide.

For further information, please contact:
Lasse Jansson, Communications Manager, Gripen International
Phone: +46 13 18 4216
Cell phone: +46 734 18 4216
lasse.jansson@gripen.com


Irina Grozdeva,
Gripen Account Manager, Cook Communications, Sofia, Bulgaria
Mobile: +359 887 567 033
Telephone: +3592 980 7185
irina.grozdeva@cook-comm.com