Saab announces Giraffe 4A radar order

A Latin American country has ordered the Giraffe 4A air surveillance radar and associated services from Saab, according to a September 5 press release. The radar will help improve land-based air surveillance, the release explains. 

The contract is valued at approximately $58.7 million (€50 million/£43.4 million), and is the third order for the land-based Giraffe 4A in the past 12 months. “We are proud to announce the first contract of the land-based Giraffe 4A to Latin America. This milestone marks a significant step in expanding our presence in the region with advanced medium range radar,” Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s Surveillance business said. 

Saab’s other orders for the system came from Europe. On December 9, 2024, Saab received an order from BAE Systems for multiple Giraffe 4A radar systems for the US Air Forces in Europe. The contract value was approximately $48 million (approx €47.7 million/£41.3 million), with deliveries set to begin in 2027. More recently, on June 17, 2025, Saab announced an order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration for Giraffe 4A systems. This order, for the Swedish Armed Forces, had a value of approximately $149.4 million (approx €127.5 million/£110.2 million), with deliveries scheduled for 2026-2027.

The company appears to be increasing its presence in Latin America, having recently been contracted to provide its 9LV Combat Management, 9LV Fire Control Systems, and the Ceros 200 radar, for Colombia’s new frigate. That contract also included the Sea Giraffe 4A, the naval variant of the radar, with a fixed face active electronically scanned array operating in the S-band.

Most notably, the JAS Gripen E/F fighter aircraft has become Saab’s star export in the region. It was selected by Brazil in 2014 under a $5.4 billion order, which included local assembly. The first Brazilian Gripen will be delivered to the country’s air force this year. Colombia announced its intent to procure the Gripen in May, following years of deliberation, and Peru followed suit in July, stating that it would purchase 24 Gripens. Contracts for both are expected to follow negotiations. 

Tech profile: Giraffe 4A

Giraffe 4A deployed on a Volvo truck. Credit: Saab

The Saab Giraffe 4A is a multi-role, S-band AESA radar that uses digital beam-forming and Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology to perform several roles simultaneously without performance loss. It is designed for high mobility and rapid deployment, making it suitable for modern expeditionary and ground surveillance scenarios. Its algorithms are particularly adept at detecting and tracking small, low-speed threats like UAVs, and it includes a specialised weapon locating mode to provide early warning and counter-fire data for incoming rockets, artillery, and mortar rounds.

Technical Specifications:

• Radar Type: AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) with GaN components
• Operating Band: S-band (E/F band)
• Beam-forming: Digital
• Deployment: Operational in under 10 minutes by a two-person team. 2,300 hours between critical failure. 
• Transportability: Airliftable by a single C-130 aircraft
• Search Volume: 360 degrees or a defined sector (40o−120o)
• Elevation Coverage: Up to 70o
• Instrumented Range: Up to 280 km for air surveillance, with a dedicated weapon locating mode with an instrumented range of 100 km.

Calibre comment

Latin America offers a potentially lucrative market for many Western companies. Like in Europe, most of the equipment used by Latin American countries entered service in the 1980s, and while the threat landscape is primarily made up of internal-security challenges, the age of the equipment means that replacements are no longer optional. Most countries are modernising and replacing their vehicle fleets as a result, providing opportunities for companies with established products and spare production capacity to gain access to new markets. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on September 5, 2025. Credit for the lead image is Saab, it shows the Giraffe 4A radar.