Stockholm, — Swedish defence company Saab has successfully completed flight trials of its own artificial intelligence (AI) agents on the Gripen E fighter jet. During the tests, an AI agent autonomously controlled the aircraft in beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat scenarios.
The AI agents, training environments and supporting tools were developed in-house by Saab’s Advanced Programs unit. The company said this gives it direct control over software behaviour, verification and the integration of new capabilities.
“We have not only built our own AI agents, but we have also flown them,” said Peter Nilsson, head of Advanced Programs at Saab’s Aeronautics business area.
AI Training and Gripen E Integration
Before flight testing, the AI agents were trained at Saab’s AI Fighter Pilot Academy, where they accumulated millions of simulated flight hours across different operational scenarios. Their decisions were evaluated against defined objectives, allowing them to test tactics and improve decision-making.
The Gripen E’s software-defined architecture supports this development. Its operating system separates flight-critical functions from mission software, allowing new AI programs to be tested on an operational fighter without a dedicated experimental aircraft. Saab said this approach shortens development cycles and enables the reuse of training infrastructure for new missions and platforms.
The development is supported by Sferical AI, a Swedish sovereign computing initiative established with Ericsson and AstraZeneca. Its Nvidia DGX SuperPOD architecture features 1,152 GPUs and provides secure computing capacity for AI development.
According to the announcement, the infrastructure can simulate the equivalent of one billion human flight hours in a single hour. It also allows sensitive military data to remain within Sweden rather than relying on commercial cloud providers.
From AI-Assisted Fighters to Uncrewed Aircraft
The latest trials follow Gripen E flight testing in 2025 under Project Beyond, which used an AI system developed by Saab’s partner Helsing. The new trials validate Saab’s own AI agents under real flight conditions.
Saab plans to expand the software’s capabilities for supporting human pilots and operating aboard uncrewed aircraft. Safety and control measures are integrated into the development process from the beginning.
Nilsson said future air combat will involve crewed and uncrewed aircraft working together as a coordinated force. Saab’s in-house AI development is intended to support this approach while maintaining control over the technology stack.
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