Saab lands contract for aircraft production in West Lafayette
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Saab has received a nearly $102 million award from Boeing to produce fuselage systems for the U.S. Air Force’s new advanced trainer aircraft at the Sweden-based company’s research and manufacturing facility at Purdue University’s Discovery Park District.
Saab opened the $37 million facility near Purdue’s West Lafayette campus in October 2021. Workers will manufacture the aft section of the new T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer and ship it to the Boeing plant in St. Louis for final assembly.
In 2018, the Air Force awarded Boeing a $9.2 billion contract to build the trainers, which will replace the T-38 trainer in use since 1961, Inside INdiana Business previously reported.
“I’m incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work that the Saab team has put into the T-7A program,” Erik Smith, president and CEO of Saab in the U.S., said in a news release. “Our West Lafayette workforce has been busy ramping up production since manufacturing was transferred from Sweden to the United States. Our facility is full with new employees and equipment, and every day we see more progress. This new order means we can take our production to the next level.”
The $101.7 million order from Boeing was booked in the fourth quarter of 2023, Saab said in the news release.
Besides producing the aft section of the T-7A, the 100,000-square foot facility will support research and development in autonomy, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. Saab expects to hire up to 300 employees for the West Lafayette facility by 2027.