The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has extended its maintenance agreement with Saab for the SK60 trainer aircraft of the Swedish Armed Forces.
Valued at SEK400m ($42.85m), the contract will see Saab continuing its leading role as the provider of training aircraft flight services for the Swedish Armed Forces.
Saab Support and Services head Jonas Hjelm said: "The extended contract is a comprehensive undertaking whereby we ensure the complete readiness of the SK60 fleet.
"We provide guaranteed flight hours at a fixed cost, in what is known as a ‘power-by-the-hour’ agreement."
Currently, Saab maintains Sweden’s fleet of SK60 aircraft by delivering all required flight operations, maintenance and the provision of stand-by capacity to the Armed Forces.
With the latest contract, the company will be able to offer its service to Swedish forces until 2020.
Hjelm added: "The contract is a confirmation of our ability to deliver a complete support solution over a product’s entire lifecycle and it also guarantees availability for the customer."
A variant of the Saab 105 prototype, SK 60 is a twin-engined jet aircraft serving as the principal jet training aircraft for Swedish military pilots.
Equipped with high wings and two engines, the 10.8m-long aircraft will be able to seat a trainer and a trainee under an acrylic glass canopy.
Made its maiden flight in 1963, the aircraft have been continually modernised and upgraded over their many years, the company stated.
In September, Saab signed a teaming agreement with Poland’s Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze Nr 2 for the Polish Air Force’s MiG-29 fleet modernisation programme.
This agreement will enable the aircraft to feature Saab’s electronic warfare self-protection systems.
Image: Swedish Air Force uses Saab-built SK 60 as the principal jet training aircraft for Swedish military pilots. Photo: courtesy of Matt Morgan.
