Swedish defence group Saab has opened a new aviation development centre in Budapest, deepening a relationship with Hungary that has evolved from aircraft procurement and fleet support into research, engineering and technology development.
The new Aviation Development Centre begins operations with 25 employees, but Saab expects the headcount to increase significantly as the scope of the Budapest operation expands. One of its initial areas of focus will be extended reality, or XR, while future work could cover a broader range of aviation-development activities.
The investment was financed entirely by Saab, without Hungarian state support, according to company representatives cited by local media. Saab did not disclose the total cost of the project.
Saab is now looking to deepen its research and development links with Hungarian universities, including Óbuda University and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, or BME.
Budapest moves deeper into Saab’s Gripen ecosystem
Hungary has operated Gripen fighters since 2006, and its cooperation with Saab began even earlier, when the country selected the aircraft at the start of the 2000s. For most of that period, the relationship centred on operating, maintaining and upgrading the Hungarian Air Force’s fighter fleet.
That relationship is now broadening. Saab said earlier this year that the Budapest Aviation Development Centre would gradually become an integral part of its global Gripen development network, contributing to research and future technologies linked to the aircraft platform.
Hungary now operates 18 Gripen C/D aircraft
The opening comes in the same year that Hungary expanded its fighter fleet. In February 2024, Hungary signed a contract for four additional Gripen C aircraft. The deliveries were completed in 2026, bringing the country’s fleet to 18 Gripen C/D fighters.
The first pair of additional aircraft arrived in April, followed by another two in June. Saab said at the time that the expanded fleet would operate with the latest available upgrades. The company has also said it is prepared to continue supporting and upgrading Hungary’s Gripen fleet beyond 2035.
