On September 3th, the Saab 2020 Underwater Seminar was held, the annual web conference summarizing the latest achievements of the Swedish company Saab in the field of underwater systems.

Transmisions gathered journalists from all ove the word, especially people interesed into Scandynavian Companies.

The seminar was chaired by Lars Tossman, President of Saab Kockums. He presented the current maritime programs implemented by the Karlskrona shipyard and, more broadly, by the Saab group. Among them, the most important are: the construction of the Artemis radio-electronic reconnaissance vessel, the platform of which is being built at the Nauta Remontowa Shipyard in Gdynia, the production of a new series of 18 CB90 HSM assault boats (manufactured by Saab's Dockstavarvet shipyard in Docksta), completion of the modernization of a pair of submarines Gotland class (the first one returned to service, the second - Uppland tests are underway), the modernization of two Gävle type corvettes (the second one is Sundsvall; both have been in use for about 30 years), and of course the construction of new A26 Blekinge submarines. The Stockholm Ministry of Defense has contracted Blekinge and Skåne, which have been under construction since September 2015.

Lars Brännström, head of marketing at Saab Kockums, outlined the profile of the conventional submarines market, which shows that the greatest interest in them is in the naval forces of Europe and Southeast Asia. Currently, there are approximately 300 submarines in operation worldwide, two-thirds of which are units built by the end of the last century. This means the necessity to replace them or deeply modernize them (such as the Gotlanders). So there is something to fight for and Saab is actively working in this area, although it does not reveal specific directions. Instead, it speaks openly about those that are already underway. The two main directions in which underwater offers have a good chance of being implemented are the Netherlands and Poland.

More informations: http://zbiam.pl/podwodne-seminarium-saaba/


Tomasz Grotnik