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Date Posted: 10-Sep-2004
JANE’S DEFENCE WEEKLY – SEPTEMBER 15, 2004
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Sweden set to approve Erieye for Pakistan
José Higuera JDW Correspondent
Santiago
The Swedish government is close to approving the export to Pakistan of a number of Saab 2000 aircraft equipped with the Ericsson Erieye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) radar and its associated mission system.
“There are high chances that a favourable decision will be made late this year or early in 2005,” a Saab official told JDW in Stockholm.
The executive explained that “substantial advances have been made in the study of the situation by the foreign ministry and the defence and foreign relations committees in the Swedish parliament, with consideration being given to the fact that Erieye is not a weapon, but a surveillance and early-warning system that contributes to the avoidance of aggression and conflict”.
The Saab official said that Pakistan wants the Erieye AEW&C system to be installed in specially upgraded Saab 2000 turboprop aircraft, which, he said, offers Islamabad the best option in terms of cost, performance and logistics. He explained that the Embraer ERJ-145 short-haul commuter aircraft, selected by Brazil, Greece and Mexico as a platform for the Erieye, is more expensive and its altitude performance unsuitable in the high-and-hot conditions found in Pakistan.
Pakistan International Airlines is evaluating the Saab 2000 for use on its domestic routes.
The integration of the Erieye in the Saab 2000 will not pose a challenge for Saab, as the aircraft is very similar to the Saab 340, already in service with the Swedish Air Force.
Sweden is also understood to be considering the replacement of its S 100B Argus, as the Saab 340B-AEW aircraft is designated, with Saab 2000s to ostensibly extend the mission range capabilities of the Erieye.
The Allison/Rolls-Royce AE2100A-powered Saab 2000 can remain aloft for more than nine hours at altitudes up to 9,000m, a significant gain on the performance of the GE CT7-9B-powered Saab 340, according to a Saab spokesman.
The Saab official source added that the larger internal volume of the Saab 2000 allows for the installation of extra consoles, other work stations and communications equipment, configuring the aircraft as a flying C2 post.
The source confirmed that while the Saab 2000 assembly line was closed in 1999, Saab has enough aircraft left in its inventory to fulfil orders from Pakistan, Sweden and other markets.
RELATED ARTICLES
‘Greece set to accept first Erieye’ (JDW 14 April 2004)
Saab 2000 entry, Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft
Erieye entry, Jane’s Radar and Electronic Warfare Systems
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