Saab reveals concept of future unmanned fighter jet

Saab has released the first public look at its concept for a Collaborative Combat Aircraft, an unmanned fighter designed to fly alongside crewed jets.

The video shows an aircraft marked A3-01, featuring a delta-wing design, a single jet engine, and two intakes positioned on either side of the fuselage. The airframe shows visible attention to low-observable, or stealth, shaping. Hartpunkt reported that the overall design suggests the aircraft could be capable of supersonic flight, though Saab has not confirmed a speed capability.

Saab did not disclose a name, technical specifications, or a customer for the aircraft in its post.

“The future of air combat is not just about a single aircraft, it’s about a seamless system of systems,” Saab said in the post.

“We are proud to present our concept for a future Unmanned Fighter System. Building on Swedish aviation heritage, this platform is designed to operate in tandem with manned aircraft, ensuring maximum flexibility and safety in the most contested environments. Designed for multi-domain operations and cooperation across the air, land, maritime, space, and cyber domains.”

Hartpunkt reported that the reference to multi-domain operations suggests the aircraft is intended for more than air-to-air missions, since that phrasing typically indicates a capability to operate in at least two domains, such as air and land. The outlet said this could point to an air-to-ground strike role, an electronic warfare role, or both, though Saab’s post does not specify.

A Collaborative Combat Aircraft is an uncrewed aircraft built to operate alongside crewed fighters, typically carrying sensors, weapons, or electronic warfare payloads while taking direction from a manned aircraft or ground controller. The U.S. Air Force, Australia, and other air forces are pursuing similar concepts under their own programs.

The concept may be linked to a contract Sweden’s defense procurement agency, FMV, awarded to Saab in October. That contract covered concept studies for future fighter aircraft systems, addressing both manned and unmanned solutions from a system-of-systems perspective, along with technology development and demonstrator work. Saab said at the time that the concept and technology development phases were scheduled to conclude by the third quarter of 2026, with demonstrator work continuing through 2027, including first flights.

Hartpunkt noted that this timeline lines up with Saab’s release of the concept video this week, though neither Saab nor FMV has confirmed a direct connection between the October contract and the aircraft shown in the video.

Saab has not disclosed a program name, funding level, or development timeline specific to the A3-01 concept. The company also has not said whether the aircraft shown in the video is a design study, a planned demonstrator, or an early depiction of a program still being defined. FMV has not issued a public statement on the video.