For the first time in the world, a Gripen E fighter equipped with artificial intelligence competed with a real pilot

Sweden has conducted the first tests of the Gripen E fighter jet with built-in AI, which controlled the aircraft during combat manoeuvres and competed with its manned counterpart.

Here's What We Know

Saab, together with the German AI company Helsing, tested the Gripen E combat aircraft with the Centaur integrated artificial intelligence system. The tests took place from 28 May to 3 June in Swedish airspace as part of the national programme Future Fighter Concept, funded by the Swedish Defence Procurement Agency.

The Centaur AI, integrated directly into the avionics, controlled the manoeuvres and provided the pilot with signals to open fire. In one of the tests, the AI-powered Gripen E fought against a manned Gripen D. To test the stability of the system, the team changed flight parameters and even disabled some control channels.

A special feature of the project was that the tests were carried out without a separate test aircraft, on the standard Gripen E platform and without the restrictions of military training grounds - in regular civilian airspace.

Centaur has undergone thousands of hours of simulated combat and, according to Helsing Vice President Antoine Bordes, has achieved skills equivalent to 50 years of flight experience in just a few hours. During the training, the AI independently developed new combat tactics, changed priority targets, and adapted manoeuvre scenarios.

According to Saab, the project was launched in March 2025, and the first flight took place eight weeks later. By integrating AI directly into the onboard systems, software updates were made in the air - without interfering with the aircraft's certified critical infrastructure.

Source: SAAB