Saab has announced the World’s First Software-Defined Aircraft Fuselage through a strategic collaboration with Divergent Technologies. The company now aims to provide the rapid adaptability required by the famous OODA loop not only through avionics systems but directly through hardware as well. This revolutionary step was inspired by the software-based flexibility of the Gripen E fighter aircraft.
Speed Factor in Defense: From OODA to Hardware
The OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act), which forms the basis of military strategy, highlights the importance of acting faster and more cost-effectively than the opponent. Since 1937, Saab has advanced with this vision, developing adaptable solutions that enable its customers to outpace their adversaries. The most recent example of this journey is the Gripen E fighter jet.
The Software Breakthrough of the Gripen E
The Gripen E pioneered Model-Based Engineering (MBE) and conducted its design through a shared digital twin, replacing 2D drawings with digital 3D models.
The aircraft’s unique avionics system separates flight-safety and mission-critical software, offering a hardware-independent platform. This broke the long and expensive upgrade cycles and brought the “Code in the Morning, Fly in the Afternoon” vision to life.
Next-Generation Vision: Software-Defined Hardware Manufacturing (SDHM)
Saab engineers launched the innovation initiative “The Rainforest” to transfer this rapid upgradability and flexibility to physical hardware. This approach was named “Software-Defined Hardware Manufacturing” (SDHM).
Axel Bååthe, Head of The Rainforest, noted that modeling had become flawless, but traditional manufacturing (physical tools, molds) slowed adaptation. Bååthe emphasized that their goal is to “provide the same software flexibility for real hardware.”
The collaboration with Divergent Technologies made this vision concrete. This partnership freed aircraft fuselage designs in the aerospace and defense industry from traditional constraints and paved the way for next-generation platforms capable of adapting instantly to changing needs.
Source:C4Defence / Saab
