Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 27, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleSaab's CEO urges EU countries to accelerate defence projects amid rising military spending and a new EU arms fund. Saab aims for significant growth by 2027.
By Niklas Pollard
KARLSKOGA, Sweden (Reuters) -Defence group Saab's CEO on Tuesday urged European governments to step up getting EU-backed projects off the ground and said a military spending boom was only just beginning.
The Swedish defence company is riding the biggest boom in demand since the end of the Cold War as Europe scrambles to re-arm in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and signs U.S. priorities may be shifting away from the region.
"I think we are only in the beginning of the spending," Saab CEO Micael Johansson said during a presentation at the company's plant in Karlskoga, central Sweden. Saab makes a wide range of military gear including fighter jets, surveillance systems, missiles and submarines.
"I think Europe will create more and more respect the more we take our own responsibility," he added. "Spending more (on) European (defence) is absolutely a trend I believe will be valid going forward."
The European Union on Tuesday approved the creation of a 150 billion-euro ($170.7 billion) EU arms fund to provide loans for defence projects, with a strong "buy European" element.
"The next hugely important step is to quickly get going," Johansson told Reuters. "The countries have to step forward and say 'we want to take the lead here'."
The company reiterated its 2023-2027 targets for organic sales growth of around 18% with operating income rising even more. Johansson said the goals would be revisited, probably next year, with growth set to continue well beyond 2027.
Saab last updated its financial targets in February.
Its order intake last year set a new record while its shares have doubled since the turn of the year, hitting a new all-time-high this week.
Saab, which competes with giants such as U.S. Lockheed Martin, France's Dassault Aviation and Britain's BAE Systems, said it was focused on ramping up capacity as well as new partnerships and acquisitions.
(Reporting by Niklas Pollard in Karlskoga and Anna Ringstrom, editing by Stine Jacobsen, Louise Rasmussen and Susan Fenton)
Saab's CEO Micael Johansson urged European governments to step up efforts to get EU-backed defence projects off the ground.
The European Union approved the creation of a 150 billion-euro ($170.7 billion) arms fund to provide loans for defence projects.
Saab reiterated its target for organic sales growth of around 18% from 2023 to 2027, with operating income expected to rise even more.
Johansson mentioned that spending more on European defence is a valid trend that he believes will continue going forward.
Saab set a new record for order intake last year, and its shares have doubled since the beginning of the year, reaching an all-time high.
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