Saab has opened a new radar production facility in Fareham as part of its growth strategy in the United Kingdom with the new work expected to contribute 100-150 jobs as it expands.
Saab UK’s Sensor Systems business is based at Saab’s Fareham site, with an additional team in Farnborough. The staff in Fareham are focused on creating and integrating the innovative Deployment Set. This is a configuration of the Giraffe 1X radar, which is highly mobile, compact, rapidly deployed, software-based, and boasts 3D AESA technology. This new Deployment Set enhances Saab’s production capacity for the Giraffe 1X and units are already being produced at the Fareham site.
Saab UK’s Sensor Systems business will serve as a Center of Excellence, focusing on developing further UK Intellectual Property in the radar field. Additionally, it will work to maintain current radars in use by the UK Ministry of Defence, including the Giraffe 1X and Giraffe AMB air defence radars, as well as the MAMBA (Arthur) radars used in locating artillery.
“This announcement of our new production facility in Fareham is the latest step in Saab UK’s growth and closely follows our recent acquisition of BlueBear. Starting up Sensor Systems means hundreds of skilled and economically valuable jobs, and a new UK defence industrial capability for our customers,” says Dean Rosenfield, Group Managing Director of Saab UK.
Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge said: “I very much welcome Saab’s investment into the UK, creating hundreds of skilled jobs and supporting our defence industrial base. I look forward to this new facility supporting our Armed Forces in utilising advanced radar capabilities.”
In February 2023, Saab UK’s facility in Fareham announced the expansion of its Underwater Systems business, which specializes in the production of Seaeye autonomous and remotely operated vehicles. Saab has eight main sites throughout the UK, with a focus on software engineering, underwater robotics, training services, radars, and other technologies.
