The Swedish corporation SAAB and the Finnish “Patria” are ready to equip the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia and today at the “Nordic Days” presented “off set” programs for integrating the Croatian economy into joint ventures and investing in Croatian companies.
Swedish SAAB intends to equip the Croatian Air Force with combat aircraft of the “Gripen” type, while the Finnish “Patria” has already signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense for the delivery of armored vehicles in the (8×8) configuration with eight wheels and is competing for the delivery of combat vehicles in the (6×6) configuration with six wheels, and has delivered two warships of the “Helsinki” class to the Croatian Navy. SAAB’s representative in Croatia, Ulf Rudebark, informed journalists that about a dozen reputable Croatian companies have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SAAB, including “Dalekovod”, “Zagrebački holding”, and “Končar”.
He emphasized that SAAB has extensive experience in “off set” programs on all continents and that their value in the world is around 30 billion dollars. Jerry Sigfeldt, Vice President of SAAB, stated that the Swedish corporation is most interested in projects related to environmental protection and energy. He mentioned the experiences of Hungary, which procured Swedish “Gripen” for its air force and where Swedish “Electrolux” opened a large factory. He noted that SAAB representatives visited about 50 companies from all over Croatia interested in cooperation.
