Saab and Scania France Military Radar Contract: Saab and Scania France have signed a deal with France’s defence buying agency, the Direction générale de l’armement, also called DGA. The plan is to give the French Armed Forces 17 Giraffe 1X radars, along with spare parts, training, and support. One radar will be used for testing, while the other 16 will go on Scania V3P tactical vehicles made by Scania France and its SPAD unit in Angers, France. The two companies have also set up a joint consortium for the life of the contract. Deliveries are set for 2026 and 2027.
What can the Radar do?
The Giraffe 1X is a small but strong 3D radar. Saab says it is already in service with several customers. It can help with air defence, counter-drone work, protecting buildings and sites, and even maritime use on different kinds of boats and ships. Saab also says the radar is software-based, which means it can be updated again and again as new threats appear.
Carl-Johan Bergholm, who heads Saab’s Surveillance business area, spoke about the deal and said, “We are proud to work together with Scania France on this important contract, with the aim of modernizing the short and very short-range air defence capabilities for the French Armed Forces”.
Vehicle Choice
The radars will not just sit on any truck. They will be mounted on the Scania V3P chassis, a tactical vehicle built for this kind of job. That matters because a radar on wheels can move with troops and change position quickly when needed.
The French contract also shows how the radar is being used in a wider defence role. Saab says Giraffe 1X can support air defence and C-UAS missions, which is a fancy way of saying it can help spot and deal with drones too. It can also protect important sites and work in naval settings.
Mobile Air Defence
The delivery window shows that this is a real rollout, not just a paper promise. France is getting one unit for evaluation first, then the rest for service use. That step-by-step path lets the military test the system before the full fleet goes out.
For Saab, the deal adds another strong customer for a radar that the company says is built to keep up with new threats by software upgrades. For France, it means a more mobile short-range and very short-range air defence setup. In plain terms, the army gets a radar shield that can move, adapt, and keep watching the sky.
