Adanis enter aerospace manufacture, partner Saab to build fighter jets

Saab-Adani's Gripen E to compete against Lockheed-Tata's F-16

In New Delhi on Friday, Saab – a Swedish company that has built more than 5,000 aircraft in its 80-year history – announced a partnership to build the Gripen E fighter with the Adani Group – which has not yet built even a single aerospace component. 

The Saab-Adani combine will compete against a Lockheed Martin-Tata Group alliance that was announced in June, to sell the Indian Air Force (IAF) at least 100 single-engine medium fighters. The IAF’s choice appear sto be between Saab’s JAS 39E Gripen (or Gripen E), and Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70. 

Addressing a joint press conference