Saab Kockums’ maiden voyage (Part.2) duc on site in Karlskrona (next to Swe- defence technology developments. den’s main navy base), and also a for- Löfvén is presently (September 30) mer navy dockyard at Muskö for forming a government with the Green maintenance and repair. Party (with 36.9 % of the votes togeth-
Saab’s broad naval presence er – leaving the Le Party out). On
By April, 2014, Thyssen Krupp Marine Prior to acquiring Kockums, Saab also September 29, the party leaders of this Systems (TKMS, the then German own- had several other facili es in the Saab two-party coali on declared that the er of Kockums) and Saab had signed a Group involved in naval defence sys- Green Party accepts the Gripen and Memorandum of Understanding tems: torpedo development in Linkö- submarine development, but that the sta ng that Saab would acquire ping, missiles in Linköping, C3I systems Swedish defence export regula ons Kockums. Saab had courted TKMS in Järfälla and radar in Gothenburg. would become more restric ve to- since the autumn of 2013 regarding an Saab’s CEO Håkan Buskhe stated that wards “non-democra c” na ons (as acquisi on of Kockums. During the “the acquisi on is in line with our the Green Party had been sugges ng for many years). spring of 2014, TKMS’ grip over strategy to expand our offering and Kockums gradually weakened as the strengthen Saab’s posi on in the mar- On September 29, FMV announced Swedish state and FMV (the defence ket for naval systems. … The acquisi- two orders to Saab Kockums. Firstly, procurement agency) distanced them- on makes us a complete supplier of an order of ten underwater ROVs selves from TKMS, and supported a naval military systems”. By Aug 20, (Remotely Operated Vehicle). These takeover of Kockums by Saab. So what Saab Kockums stated that they are ROVs are to be integrated aboard pa- has happened since early June? planning to hire up to 200 engineers in trol boats and auxiliary ships in The Malmö. Swedish Navy. Secondly, an order of Closing the Saab acquisition SEK 130 million for an overhaul of the On June 9, FMV and Saab signed a TKMS by now apparently experienced submarine HMS Halland (Gotland Le er of Intent regarding the Swedish a diminishing fondness of military ship class) during 2014-15. Together with underwater capability for 2015-2024. and submarine development. Accord- the July torpedo order; these three On June 26, Saab declared that they ing to the German newspaper Han- orders were referred to by FMV as were s ll in ongoing talks with TKMS delsbla , by September 12 TKMS was being part of the 2015-2024 Le er of regarding an acquisi on of Kockums: in nego a ons for a sale of HDW (i.e. Intent. The development of the Next “The discussions are at a final stage what remained of TKMS’ military ship- Genera on Submarine is also well but s ll ongoing.” and submarine facili es) to the Ger- under way in the present poli cal and On June 29, Saab declared that they man defence company Rheinmetall. Rheinmetall in its turn was pondering procurement context. had reached an agreement with TKMS for acquiring Kockums at a price of SEK dives ng its unit for car components Implications 340 million (€ 35 million). TKMS ini al to Thyssen Krupp. Handelsbla in this Saab Kockums is clearly experiencing price a few months earlier had been ar cle also stated that Rheinmetall fair wind in the first months of its SEK 1,3 billion. As Saab had succeeded was interested in acquiring Optronica maiden voyage. During several years in a rac ng skilled submarine devel- and Atlas Elektronik from EADS, com- prior to 2014, Kockums opera ons and opment personnel from Kockums dur- panies highly ac ve in defence tech- product development were character- nology. ized by a procurement and ownership ing the spring, including TKMS AB’s chief submarine designer, and as FMV Stabilizing Saab Kockum’s future roadblock on a grand scale. Saab’s had aborted prac cally all orders to operations torpedo development had also for Kockums – TKMS increasingly pos- Sweden had its na onal elec on on years experienced a defence procure- sessed an industrial facility with very September 14. The elec on outcome ment stands ll. A perhaps worrying limited business future. meant that the si ng prime minister cloud towards the horizon, however, is the export market. Present export FMV announced on July 2 that it had Fredrik Reinfeldt and his rightwing, four-party coali on – ‘The Alliance’ – orders are modest, and technology placed an order with Saab Naval Sys- development in the naval area solely tems for ‘design plans’ for a New Light- would be replaced by some sort of coali on lead by the Social Democra c for the Swedish demand would be weight Torpedo (NLT). (Note, Kockums costly for Sweden. Perhaps Kockums not yet acquired). However, by July 22, Party leader Stefan Löfvén. However, Löfvén and his closest collaborators will be pulled along on the export mar- Saab announces that it completes the ket by the highly export successful acquisi on of Kockums from TKMS, the Le Party and the Green Party together only had 43.6 % of the votes. Saab Group. In aggregate however, for and Kockums is incorporated into the Swedish Navy’s submarine force, Saab. Saab had by then reached ap- The Social Democrats have in recent years expressed clearly defence- Saab Kockums’ submarine develop- proval from all concerned authori es ment and Saab’s naval business units; in Sweden and Germany. Saab friendly declara ons and have been posi ve (together with the Alliance) massive uncertain es have turned into Kockums (the new name) became a a promising future rising on the hori- business unit within Saab’s business towards costly development of an E/F zon. area Security and Defence Solu ons. genera on of Gripen and of develop- M L The new business unit Saab Kockums ment of a new submarine. The Le Deputy Research Director, FOI has its design office in Malmö, its pro- and the Green party, however, have clearly been scep c to such ambi ous mar [email protected] 11