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'Saab AB' is an aviation and defense company based in Sweden and founded in 1937 in Trollhättan. Its name was an acronym for "Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget" (translates to Swedish Aeroplane Limited), thus written as "SAAB". In 1939 Saab merged with the Linköping based ASJA and the headquarters moved to Linköping. During changes in company ownership in the 1990s, the company name became Saab AB.
Originally manufacturing airplanes, the company sought ways in which to diversify its business and in the late 1940s started to manufacture Saab Automobiles. The automobile division was based in Trollhättan. The first car was the Saab 92001 on June 10, 1947. The company soon developed a reputation for safe and reliable automobiles, with a notable competition history.
In the late 1950s Saab ventured into the computer market with DataSAAB.
In 1969 Saab merged with the truck maker Scania-Vabis, and between 1969 and 1995 the company was called Saab-Scania AB. General Motors bought 51 percent of the automobile division Saab Automobile in 1990, and acquired the rest a decade later.

Contents

Ownership

Aircraft

Datasaab

See also

External links

Ownership

Since 1998 the British aerospace company BAE Systems has been the largest shareholder in Saab following its acquisition of a 35% stake from Investor AB by its predecessor, British Aerospace. In January 2005 BAE reduced its shareholding to 20%, which it views as a long term interest. Investor AB also maintains a 20% share.

Aircraft

The main focus of aircraft production is fighter aircraft, with the recent JAS 39 Gripen as the main model. Saab has been making airplanes since the 1930s, and the purely jet predecessors to the Gripen were the Tunnan, the Lansen, the Draken and the Viggen. The last civilian models made by Saab were the Saab 340 and Saab 2000. Both were mid-range, turboprop-powered, passenger planes. The development and the manufacturing of these airplanes takes place in Linköping, Sweden.
In 1995 ''Saab Military Aircraft'' and British Aerospace (now BAE Systems) formed the joint venture company ''Saab-BAe Gripen AB'', with the goal of adapting, manufacturing, marketing and supporting Gripen internationally. This co-operation was extended in 2001 with the formation of Gripen International for the same purpose.
BAE designed an improved wing, which they then manufactured and are set to produce 45% of export airframes. Saab Military Aircraft is responsible for the overall "aircraft system" including basic aircraft development and production, and testing and delivery.

★ Saab 17 (bomber/dive-bomber)

★ MFI-15 Safari

★ Saab 18 (bomber)

★ Saab 21 (push-prop)

★ Saab 21R (jet)

★ Saab 29 Tunnan

★ Saab 32 Lansen

★ Saab 35 Draken

★ Saab 37 Viggen

★ Saab 39 Gripen

★ Saab 90 Scandia

★ Saab 91 Safir

★ Saab 105

★ Saab 340

★ Saab 2000

Datasaab

The Datasaab company was a result partly of the need of heavy computational power for the aircraft development, partly of the science-fictional idea to make a computer that would be small enough to mount in an aeroplane as navigational equipment. During the 1960s several successful and advanced systems were developed and sold to several European countries (used in e.g. banking). The aircraft computer (CK37) was achieved in 1971 in the Viggen. The now less successful company was sold off in 1975 to Sperry UNIVAC, while flight computer development was kept in Saab.

See also

★ Volvo Aero

★ Saalina

★ SAABO

External links

★ Saab - Official site

★ Yahoo! - Saab AB Company Profile

★ Online version of "The Saab Way", an illustrated history of the first 35 years of Saab from 1949-1984 by Gunnar A. Sjögren