Saab received an order from Airbus Defence and Space for the Arexis electronic warfare (EW) sensor suite that will equip the German Air Force’s (Luftwaffe) Eurofighter EK fighters. The contract period is 2024-2026.
The German defense procurement office announced in June 2023 that it had selected Saab’s Arexis sensor suite for the Eurofighter EK, an EW variant of the German Air Force’s Eurofighter aircraft. This order marks the start of Saab’s first phase of Arexis supply under this program.
Saab received the order from Airbus, which will equip 15 of the German Air Force’s Eurofighters for EW missions with solutions that include Saab’s Arexis. These aircraft will replace the German Air Force’s Tornado ECRs, which will be withdrawn from service from 2030.
«Our solid experience of developing electronic warfare systems for airborne platforms and our long-standing cooperation with Airbus will be crucial to support the delivery of the Eurofighter EK to the German Air Force. Combining advanced hardware and AI-enabled software, our Arexis sensor suite will strengthen the German defence with future-proof electronic warfare capability for decades to come,» says Micael Johansson, CEO and President of Saab.
Saab will be supported by its strategic AI partner Helsing and the Arexis suite will feature Helsing’s AI platform. Arexis enables the user to detect, locate and identify radar emitters in complex and congested electromagnetic environments.
Eurofighter EK
The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) plans to modify 15 of its Eurofighters and equip them with the necessary sensors and equipment to enable them to perform electronic warfare and enemy air defense suppression/destruction missions, replacing the Panavia Tornado ECRs.
The upgrade and modification to Eurofighter EK will be completed by 2028, revolutionizing the fighter’s reconnaissance and self-protection capabilities thanks to its AI-based cognitive electronic warfare capabilities.
AREXIS
Saab’s Arexis Electronic Warfare (EW) suite provides crucial situational awareness. It is a modular and scalable system, which can be fully integrated on board an aircraft, in a mission module or as a payload on an unmanned vehicle, providing defensive and offensive electronic warfare capabilities.
It uses disruptive systems based on high-power GaN gallium nitride active electronically scanning array (AESA) technology, state-of-the-art ultra-wideband receivers and digital radio frequency memories (DRFM), to neutralize enemy anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) systems. The Arexis system can integrate auxiliary electronic warfare pods, offensive weaponry and advanced decoy systems such as the Spear EW.
