Free Republic

President Joe Biden greenlit the release of Colombian businessman Alex Saab, accused of acting as Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro’s top money launderer, on Wednesday. Saab’s release is allegedly the result of a prisoner swap with the rogue socialist regime that will also allow for the release of unjustly detained Americans in Venezuela, the Associated Press reported. Saab, 51, is a close personal ally of Maduro and is widely considered the socialist dictator’s financial brain. American law enforcement authorities arrested Saab in Cape Verde in 2020 after the Department of Justice indicted him in 2019 on charges of laundering $350...

Iran, Turkey, and Venezuela's Super Facilitator: Who Is Slex Saab? On June 12, Alex Nain Saab Morán, a Colombian businessman of Lebanese  descent, was arrested at Amílcar Cabral International airport in Cape Verde. This was a huge blow to the Maduro regime’s illicit networks, as Saab is a key facilitator, involved in alleged corrupt dealings and money laundering in Venezuela since 2004.  His arrest was made after years of investigations on behalf of the U.S. and Colombia to uncover a myriad of shell companies that Saab; his business partner, Alvaro Pulido Vargas; and family members set up. Considered a fugitive in Colombia,...

A Swedish pilot named Per-Olof Eldh, using a Viggen fighter jet, lined up with the Blackbird’s flight path and even gained full missile lock. ___________________________________________________________ The SR-71 Blackbird is a legendary plane, which had a long life that began in the 1960s and ended in the 1990s. The plane, considered the fastest ever to fly, was famously never shot down, although it did once have a close call with a meteor while flying over North Korea in the early 1980s. A recent report looked at another close call the SR-71 had, with an unlikely source: the Swedish Air Force, from...

A New Jersey man is accused of being a secret Hezbollah operative in the United States for more than a decade, surveilling potential attack sites in New York City, Boston and Washington, prosecutors said Thursday. Alexei Saab, 42, from Morristown, was charged under a nine-count indictment in connection with a range of alleged terror activities. They included providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and receiving military-style training from that group, the Justice Department said. “Even though Saab was a naturalized American citizen, his true allegiance was to Hezbollah, the terrorist organization responsible for decades of terrorist...

A Swedish aerospace firm that hopes to supply Canada’s new fleet of fighter jets says it could build the aircraft in this country, making maximum use of the expertise of domestic firms and creating high-tech jobs. Saab’s pitch to build its Gripen E fighter jet in Canada further ups the ante on the $19-billion competition that will see the federal government purchase 88 new aircraft. The Liberal government has been emphasizing the transfer of new technology and expertise to Canadian aerospace firms as well as the creation of high-tech jobs as among its key goals for the fighter jet program....

The air force has been looking for more than a decade for aircraft to replace its US-made F5A/B jet interceptors that retired in 2005 The Philippine government is likely to buy Swedish-made Gripen multirole supersonic fighters for its air force, the Philippine News Agency reports. Apart from being cheaper to purchase and less expensive to maintain, Gripen has also proved to be an excellent fighter aircraft, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told the news agency in an exclusive interview this week. The Philippine Air Force has been looking for more than a decade for what aircraft it would buy to...

At Farnborough 2018, the Spice 250 is being displayed as an option for both the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen. Rafael’s Spice 250 electro-optical/infrared-guided glide bomb is on course to achieve initial operational capability with the Israel Air and Space Force next year, following a third test campaign earlier this year that saw the 100-km (62-mile) range weapon successfully engage moving, maritime, and time-critical targets. A few more qualification tests are due to be undertaken, with low-rate production just getting under way. At Farnborough 2018, the weapon is being displayed as an option for both the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab...

Saab has launched the next generation of its formidable RBS15 anti-ship missile series for international sale, with a little help from Norse mythology. Unveiling its latest evolution of the strike weapon at the Farnborough air show, the Swedish manufacturer is offering the product under the "Gungnir" family banner. This name refers to the spear of the god Odin – which was unstoppable and never missed its target, the company says. Developed in partnership with Diehl Defence, the latest evolution of the long-range weapon, more formally designated the RBS15 Mk4 Air, is for future integration with Saab's Gripen E. Sweden's FMV...

Is the Gripen E too good to be true? Hushkit met Richard Smith the Head of Marketing & Sales for the Saab Gripen to find out more. When I interviewed the widely respected aviation journalist Bill Sweetman in 2013, I pointed out the Typhoon, F-22 and F-35 programmes have all received a great deal of criticism, but could he give an example of a well-run military aircraft project? He replied: “Almost anything from the land of blondes, aquavit and IKEA.” In an article Sweetman wrote for Aviation Week he argued that there the case for describing the forthcoming Gripen E/F...

In an Yle Radio 1 interview on Friday, weapon systems expert Arto Pulkki said he believes that in practice the choice of new aircraft for the Finnish Air Force will come down to just two contenders, either the American Lockheed Martin F-35 or the Swedish Saab Gripen E. Bids are being sought from five manufacturers for the 7-10 billion euro acquisition of a projected 64 multi-role fighter aircraft. The planes being considered are the British-made Eurofighter Typhoon, France’s Dassault Rafale, Sweden’s Saab Gripen E, and the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35 from American manufacturers. "Both the Eurofighter...

Saab's Swordfish anti-submarine patrol aircraft / Saab Saab is in for a difficult competition in Korea. By the lie of the land, the Swedish company may not get a chance to bid for Korea's $1.7 billion purchase deal for anti-submarine aircraft. Even if it is allowed, it is widely seen as a spoiler for Korean buyers to use to get a better deal from an American defense contractor. Just for that purpose ― lower cost, greater technology transfer and bigger "offset" deals for the stalling next-generation fighter program ― it looks tempting to give Saab what it wants and pit...

Saab has unveiled its first GlobalEye surveillance aircraft, revealing the extensively modified Bombardier Global 6000 business jet in the livery of launch customer the United Arab Emirates air force. Conducted at the Swedish company's Linköping site on 23 February, the event came a little over two years after the GlobalEye deal was announced at the Dubai air show in November 2015. The UAE initially signed a two-aircraft order, before also taking an option on a third example last year. Saab Adaptations include adding a Saab Erieye ER airborne early warning and control radar in a "skibox" fairing above the fuselage,...

Swedish airplane manufacturer Saab could cancel its contract to supply Gripen jet fighters to the Brazilian Air Force if it believes that an eventual tie-up between American company Boeing and Brazilian company Embraer could put technological secrets of its aircraft at risk. Folha has learned that this is the message that Saab is going to deliver on Tuesday (the 23rd) in a meeting scheduled with Defense Minister Raul Jungmann. The Swedish delegation will be headed up by the company's President, Hakan Buskhe. In 2013 the Swedish aircraft won a long running international competition against the French Dassault Rafale and the...

A Navantia-led team has submitted its tender response for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program, with global defence and security company Saab as the Combat Systems Integrator (CSI) and CEA Technologies providing key elements of the proposed solution. The frigate design submited by Navantia for CSC is fitted with a 127mm main gun by Leonardo, a CEAFAR2 radar by CEA, 2x RAM launchers by Raytheon, 2x 35mm Millenium CIWS guns by Rheinmetall, 48x VLS and 8x RBS-15 Mk3 anti-ship missiles by Saab. With a strong heritage in designing and building frigates and destroyers and proven technology transfer in global programs,...

SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- U.S. aerospace giant Boeing Co. and Saab of Sweden are vying to win South Korea's next maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) contract, military sources here said Sunday. Military officials at this year's Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) being held in Seongnam, just south of the capital city, said the two companies have respectively proposed the P-8A Poseidon and Swordfish as candidates for the contract. The planes can allow South Korea to better counter North Korea's growing underwater threat that may include submarines with the capability to launch ballistic missile. South Korea's Navy said that...

At AFA, Boeing displayed this full-scale model of its T-X contender as backdrop to an announcement by Saab that its part of the jet would be built in the U.S. (Photo: Chris Pocock) With the U.S. Air Force nearing a selection decision for its 350-airplane T-X advanced jet trainer requirement, partners Boeing and Saab used this week’s AFA Air Space and Cyber Conference to boost the American credentials of its contender. Boeing displayed a full-scale model on its stand and a large banner in the foyer that proclaimed “American Jets for American Pilots.” Saab announced that it would invest in...

Defence and security company Saab presents a new variant of Gripen, Gripen Aggressor. Gripen Aggressor is based on the proven Gripen C-series and is the ultimate platform for the adversary air combat training market. Gripen Aggressor brings a unique mix of high performance, mission flexibility and availability combined with a low life cycle cost. There is a growing segment within the adversary air combat training market for highly advanced aggressor capabilities to be able to perform realistic combat training. Gripen Aggressor provides an exceptional, dissimilar opponent aircraft system against which pilots will sharpen and refine their combat skills so as...

During its Submarine Seminar 2017 held this morning, Saab Kockums announced that the A26 next generation submarine is now a family with three model range: Pelagic, Oceanic and Oceanic (Extended Range). Saab A26 Submarine variants 1The three variants of the A26 family of submarines. Saab image. A26 Pelagic The new Pelagic variant is a smaller version of the A26 designed for the Swedish Navy. A26 Pelagic measures less than 50 meters in length with a surfaced displacement of about 1,000 tons. Its range is 4,000 nautical miles at 10 knots and its endurance at patrol speed is over 20 days...

Sweden's answer to the F-35 has taken its maiden flight, maker Saab has revealed. During the 40-minute flight over the eastern parts of Östergötland, the latest Gripen executed a series of maneuvers to test its systems, including extending and retracting its landing gear. The Gripen E 'Smart Fighter' is aimed at markets not yet cleared to buy the troubled Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The latest version of the Gripen fighter jet has been unveiled by Swedish aircraft maker, Saab. The E fighter, the sixth variant in the Gripen family, is slightly bigger than previous versions the $85 million...

More than 30 years ago, the Swedish military determined a need to maintain long-range surveillance coverage if part of its ground-based air defence radar network was out of action. From a description seeking "a radar on a tall mast", its airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system was born. The selected "gap-filler" solution combined the Saab 340 twin-turboprop with an Erieye surveillance radar mounted atop its fuselage. The Swedish air force's initial FSR standard required a lone system operator to fly aboard the aircraft – largely to switch on and monitor the sensor, with collected data downlinked to the ground....