SAAB, Global defence manufacturer, is setting up their manufacturing plant in India at MET City Haryana. H.E. Hakan Jevrell, State Secretary of Trade, Sweden, H.E. Jan Thesieff, Ambassador of Sweden to India, and the senior management of SAAB attended the groundbreaking ceremony for starting construction of its first plant in India for the world-class Carl Gustaf M4 weapon system on 4th March. This project marks India’s first 100% FDI in defence. Also Saab will partner with Indian suppliers and is committed to fully meet the requirements of “Make in India” for the systems manufactured in the facility.
At the new facility in India, SAAB will deploy complex technologies including the latest sighting technology and advanced carbon fibre winding to manufacture Carl-Gustaf M4 for the Indian armed forces, and components which may be included in other users’ systems.
Hakan Jevrell, State Secretary for Foreign Trade, Sweden termed this opportunity as an important milestone for Sweden and India bilateral equation. He mentioned “Saab’s factory will be the first foreign fully-owned defence production facility in India. It is a testament to the strong bilateral relationship between our countries,”
The new Carl-Gustaf M4 is a man-portable weapon system compatible with a wide range of ammunition that can handle all sorts of targets including built-up areas, armoured vehicles, and also be used to illuminate battlefields during night-time operations.
“Our manufacturing plant in India underscores our strong commitment to the Make in India initiative and our close collaboration with the Indian Defence Forces,” said Mats Palmberg, Chairman & Managing Director, Saab India Technologies. While Gorgen Johansson, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab’s Business Area Dynamics, mentioned “I am proud to start constructing our first facility outside Sweden for Carl-Gustaf, a product that has a long history with the Indian Armed Forces. We look forward to starting production of our excellent product, now engineered and made in India.”
As India strives to become self-reliant in defence technologies, SAAB’s new plant will serve as a trailblazer for many others to follow.