Page 36 - ADT MARCH 2021 Online Magazine

INTERVIEW: SAAB and SimTEX also provide us a chance to interact with other com-

and international, not just for DeployNET but for everything we do
in the country. Our product has to be attractive to the local market;
Anna-Karin Rosén, Saab Manag- it is important to have a launch customer and to have a strong
ing Director Middle East market base locally. We are also looking at export opportunities for
DeployNET and other products. Being a part of Saab helps us to
step into global market with our locally developed product.
What are some of the projects that you are cur-
rently working on in the UAE?
In addition to what we are doing in telecommunication, the local unit
of Saab is cooperation with the UAE in more than one area. We have
panies. We also have access to potential customers, both domestic [ INTERVIEW SAAB ]
a big project ongoing and that is in the sensor technology field. We
are still in the development stage, and it is too early to talk about a
product launch. We are working in several other areas, but we don’t
want to talk about them, just yet. If we look at Saab globally, we have
major systems; the GlobalEye airborne early warning and control
(AEW&C) aircraft with the UAE Air Force: that’s very large. As a local
entity, we support that. Another area for global Saab in the UAE is
traffic management. Then you have both air traffic management,
and consequently, providing equipment to the airports and to the
digital tower. There is also maritime traffic management. We have
a big footprint in the different ports all over the UAE, and a lot of
Saab is committed to growing its footprint in the equipment guiding maritime traffic.
Middle East and focused on developing prod- Some countries have restrictions on transferring
ucts that work not only locally but also at the
global level, Anna-Karin Rosén, Saab Managing “sensitive” technologies to other countries. How
Director Middle East, has said. In an interview do you deal with that?
with Mohamed Fahed AL Halabieh during the Saab, of course, follows Swedish regulations and works closely with
recently concluded UMEX 2022, Rosén spoke on the Swedish government when it comes to export allowances and
a variety of issues, including the new DeployNET such. Also, restrictions may be imposed from other countries where
communication system and the company’s activ- we develop products, such as South Africa and Australia. Saab in the
ities in the UAE. Edited Excerpts of the interview. UAE is a local company, and our strategy is to develop everything
here. We do not have to transfer technology from anywhere because
Can you give us an overview of everything is made and created here in the UAE.
the DeployNET communication
system? Is your partnership, as Saab Ltd, with the UAE
Telecommunication is a major area for Saab, based on joint venture?
and we are excited to be launching DeployNET, We are not a joint venture company, but we work with and receive
a broad band, rapidly deployable, mobile, support from Tawazun Economic Council. So, there is an offset
secure, and scalable telecommunication net- aspect to this. We are really creating value for the UAE in the UAE.
work system. It is also self-sufficient; you don’t Tawazun is very supportive of what we do. As many as 15 percent of
need any connection to the outside world to our workforce are local people. That is quite a lot for private company
work. Other systems need to be connected to a that is very engineer- heavy. I have set a goal to increase the number
cloud to work, and that makes them vulnerable of Emiratis working for the company, every year.
to cyberattacks. DeployNET can be deployed by
a two-person crew in a few minutes. It can be To what extent does Saab contribute to enhanc-
used in low-intensity conflicts where the adver- ing the capabilities of the UAE/ GCC armed
sary is not technically very advanced and also forces to confront emerging threats such as
during crises and natural disasters, with end- cyber, drone and ballistic missile attacks?
to-end security. I think it helps that we have a big footprint here. We are certainly
helping UAE deal with threats. A perfect example is GlobalEye. The
Was there any specific reason to support we have received from Tawazun, and the authorities is great
choose UMEX 2022 as a platform and that pushes us to do whatever we can to support the country’s
to launch the product? defense needs. Due to the relationship that we have with Tawazun,
SAAB has been present in the UAE for several we do get some guidance on the country’s needs and the strategy
years. We consider ourselves a local company, for the future. As we are a local company, we also have the ability to
and there is no better platform than UMEX and discuss with the Ministry of Defence or the armed forces directly to
SimTEX to launch a locally made product. UMEX identify and develop products that the UAE might need in the future.

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