--- title: "Saab Reveals A3 Drone Concept: Tailless Stealth Aircraft for Teamwork with Gripen E" description: "Saab presented the A3 drone concept as part of the ACP program — a component of the Swedish KFS project. The company confirmed plans for unmanned testing by 2030, but there is no series production contract yet." date: 2026-08-24T23:55:32.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/saab-reveals-a3-tailless-stealth-drone-concept tags: [saab, uav, sweden, stealth-drone, gripen, military-technology] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Saab Reveals A3 Drone Concept: Tailless Stealth Aircraft for Teamwork with Gripen E ![Saab A3 tailless stealth drone concept with a large swept wing on an airfield runway](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/25/saab-predstavila-koncept-bespilotnika-a3/saab-predstavila-koncept-bespilotnika-a3-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Saab unveiled the A3 tailless stealth drone concept for teaming with Gripen E fighters under the ACP program and the KFS project. - By 2030, Saab plans unmanned testing with characteristics close to a fighter; the supersonic one is the A1 prototype with GE F414 engines. - There is no series production contract for the A3; with Swedish Air Force support, entry into service is possible in the early 2030s, with a life-cycle cost of about one third of a Gripen. Swedish corporation Saab Group has unveiled an updated conceptual model of the A3 unmanned aerial vehicle, developed for joint operation with manned fighters as part of an integrated combat system. The company announced this in a press release, while details of the roadmap were disclosed to journalists at a press conference held at Malmö airbase as part of the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Swedish Air Force. According to Saab representatives, the aircraft is intended for high-risk missions: conducting electronic warfare, suppressing enemy air defense systems, and delivering precision strikes in areas of intense resistance. ### The A3 Concept and Its Role in the System The A3 model retains the key features of the previous exhibition version, which Saab first displayed in 2024: a tailless aerodynamic layout, a low fuselage, and a fairly spacious internal volume for carrying fuel and weapons. The angular stealth geometry of the surfaces, visible in the published images of the aircraft on the concrete pad, is designed to reduce radar cross-section. As Peter Nilsson, director of Saab's future programs division, explained, the company is in an intensive development phase and, together with the Swedish Ministry of Defence, is researching the technologies that will form the basis of next-generation fighters. ### The ACP Roadmap and the KFS Project According to The War Zone, Saab presented journalists with the roadmap for the Automated Combat Platform (ACP) program. Nilsson stated that the ACP is part of the larger Swedish KFS project — Koncept för Framtida Stridsflygplan, or "Concept for a Future Fighter." As part of this work, the company plans to conduct unmanned test flights by 2030 with characteristics as close to a fighter as possible, so that Sweden can evaluate prospective options for further development. Nilsson emphasized that the A3 "would be an excellent platform for teaming with the Gripen E," although at present the company has no commitments to series production of the A3 model. ### The A1 and A2 Prototypes: Supersonic Testing In addition to the A3 concept, Saab is researching and developing the A1 and A2 drone prototypes, funded by the Swedish Ministry of Defence. The first flight of the A1, equipped with GE Aerospace F414 engines — the same ones used on the manned Saab Gripen E/F fighters — is expected within the next 15 months, and the aircraft is expected to reach supersonic speed. The A1 will feature an internal weapons bay, however no testing of dropping or launching munitions from it will be conducted: the main goal is to demonstrate the company's ability to produce and deploy stealth drones. The next prototype, the A2, will also have an internal bay and will likely be used to test various types of weapons, as well as new materials, sensors, and the F414 engine. Saab's contract provides for the development of the A1 and A2 models by 2030. ### Contradictory Data It is important here to distinguish between two versions that give rise to inaccurate formulations in the media. On the one hand, a number of publications characterize the A3 in their headlines as a "supersonic stealth drone" and a "powerful" aircraft. On the other hand, in the text of the press release itself and in Saab's comments, the supersonic characteristics are explicitly tied to the A1 prototype, not to the A3 concept, which remains a model without confirmed tactical and technical specifications and without a series production contract. Thus, the громкие headlines about a "supersonic A3" do not fully match the factual status: the supersonic one is the A1, while the A3 at the current stage is a concept within the research framework. This does not refute the fact of the model's presentation, but it calls for a cautious interpretation of its capabilities. ### Economics and Prospects According to Saab's estimates, if the Swedish armed forces support the project, the A3 model could be introduced into service in the early 2030s, with initial operational readiness achieved by the middle of that decade. The company cites cost as the key economic argument: by Saab's calculations, operating the ACP over its entire life cycle would cost roughly one third of the cost of a Gripen fighter. This makes the concept attractive from a budgetary burden perspective, although the final decision on series production remains with the Swedish Ministry of Defence. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Saab has presented a project for a powerful supersonic stealth drone.](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/saab-ra-mat-thiet-ke-may-bay-khong-nguoi-lai-tang-hinh-sieu-thanh-cuc-manh) - Подтверждает факт представления концепта A3, программу ACP/KFS, планы испытаний к 2030 году и прототипы A1/A2. Оговорка: заголовок характеризует A3 как сверхзвуковой, тогда как в тексте сверхзвуковой — A1; A3 — концепт без контракта на серийное производство. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What is the Saab A3 and what is it designed for? **A:** The A3 is a tailless stealth drone concept developed for joint operation with manned fighters (in particular the Gripen E). It is intended for high-risk missions: electronic warfare, air defense suppression, and precision strikes in areas of strong resistance. ### Q: When will the tests take place and when could the A3 enter service? **A:** Saab plans to conduct unmanned test flights by 2030 with characteristics close to a fighter. If the Swedish Air Force supports the project, the A3 could enter service in the early 2030s, with initial operational readiness by the middle of the decade. There is no series production contract for the A3 yet. ### Q: Which aircraft in the program is supersonic? **A:** According to Saab, the supersonic characteristic belongs to the A1 prototype with GE F414 engines, whose first flight is expected within 15 months. The A3 concept is not explicitly characterized as supersonic in the company's text.