Saab renewed its offer to build the Gripen fighter jet in Canada last week, repeating a pitch it’s made since late 2025, but this time with US-Canada trade talks freshly collapsed and Ottawa’s enthusiasm for more American F-35s at its lowest point all year.
At a briefing during Sweden’s Air Force centenary air show on August 22, Saab President and CEO Micael Johansson said his company has given Canadian officials a roadmap for standing up a production line domestically, describing the pitch as a “high-low mix” pairing the F-35’s high-end capabilities with the Gripen’s lower cost and wider airfield flexibility. Johansson made the same case as far back as March, when he said a homegrown Gripen was achievable within five years.
Read: Canada Explores 140-Jet Mixed Fleet of F-35s and Canadian Built Gripens
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Canada’s fighter review has already moved well past a simple either-or choice. Sources with knowledge of the talks have told CBC News the government is weighing a three-part fleet that could reach 140 aircraft total, splitting the workload across F-35s, Canadian-assembled Gripens, and Saab’s GlobalEye surveillance jets as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s broader defense-industrial strategy.
Read: McGuinty pulls F-35 Review Into Canada-US negotiating spotlight
Ottawa remains contractually committed to at least 16 F-35s, and has quietly paid for components toward 14 more, even as the broader review remains unresolved more than a year after Carney ordered it.
Read: Canada Makes Payments for 14 Additional F-35 Jets Despite Ongoing Review
