Saab acquires UK AI drone maker BlueBear
Saab has acquired UK-based drone developer BlueBear Systems Group.
BlueBear is a leading provider of AI-enabled autonomous swarm systems for complex defence and security applications. It employs 65 employees at its site outside Bedford and had a turnover of £8 million in 2022. The value of the deal was not disclosed.
Saab aims to tap into BlueBear’s experience as an agile integrator of AI-enabled autonomous swarm systems for future systems. BlueBear will contribute to Saab’s existing activities worldwide and Saab will benefit from BlueBear’s expertise in autonomy and swarming, as well as command and control systems.
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Saab says it sees technologies such as AI, machine learning and autonomous systems as reshaping entire industries and this is part a proactive strategy of selected acquisitions.
“Saab UK is on a rapid growth journey and this is a pivotal moment for both Saab in the UK and BlueBear. We look forward to bringing together our collective expertise and collaborating on leading edge capabilities for our customers,” says Dean Rosenfield, Group Managing Director of Saab UK.
Within Saab, BlueBear will be a centre for Rapid Concept Development providing expertise and scaling-up innovation.
“For BlueBear this is an important step in our journey as we now move forward as part of Saab. We see many enhanced opportunities around naval, air and land autonomy, payload integration, next generation command and control, AI-enabled defence clouds as well as next generation platforms,” says Dr Yoge Patel, CEO of BlueBear.
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