US EditionSaab, Helsing Let Gripen Fighter Fly with AI in Charge
- Saab and Helsing completed three successful test flights of the Gripen E fighter controlled by Helsing's AI agent Centaur between May 28 and June 3, 2025, over the Baltic Sea.
- The collaboration began with a 2023 strategic agreement to integrate AI into Gripen E rapidly, aiming to explore trustworthy autonomous combat through the fully funded Project Beyond.
- During the flights, Centaur executed complex Beyond Visual Range maneuvers, tracked a manned Gripen D, and cued the pilot to fire using real-time sensor data, while a safety pilot was onboard.
- Peter Nilsson called it "an important achievement for Saab," test pilot Marcus Wandt described it as "the future of air combat," and Antoine Bordes noted Centaur flew around 50 years of pilot-equivalent hours in simulation.
- The tests demonstrate rapid AI capability growth in fighters and support Sweden's long-term future fighter program decision planned by 2031, with further flights and AI training ongoing.
20 Articles
20 Articles
The Saab Gripen E Fighter Jet Now Has AI Systems
Sweden’s Gripen E fighter successfully tested AI flight control, marking a major leap in autonomous air combat capabilities and showcasing rapid integration of advanced tech in Europe’s future defense strategy.
Saab achieves AI milestone with Gripen E
STOCKHOLM, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Saab, in collaboration with Helsing, today announced the successful completion of the first three flights integrating Helsing's Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent `Centaur' into a Gripen E fighter jet. As part of Saab's `Project Beyond',…
Saab has started using AI agents to fly the Gripen E in air combat. In tests, the agents have proven capable of defeating piloted planes. “The outcome was not a given, it was different who won,” says Innovation Manager Marcus Wandt.
He's already fought the real plane.
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