Saab and ICEYE Forge Strategic Alliance to Enhance Command-and-Control Capabilities with Advanced SAR Technology
ICEYE’s SAR satellites provide high-resolution, all-weather, 24/7 radar imaging. Unlike optical satellites, they work in any light or weather. Saab’s C2 system will integrate ICEYE’s sub-meter SAR data, giving military forces continuous, detailed situational awareness across land, sea, and air.
Sweden’s Saab and Finland’s ICEYE, a global leader in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology, announced on 5 March 2025 the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to integrate advanced space-based radar imaging into Saab’s command-and-control (C2) systems. This strategic cooperation is designed to enhance situational awareness, improve tactical decision-making, and expand long-range targeting capabilities for both defense and security applications.
Revolutionizing C2 with High-Resolution SAR Data
At the core of this partnership is ICEYE’s SAR satellite constellation, which provides persistent, all-weather, high-resolution radar imaging. Unlike traditional optical satellites, ICEYE’s SAR technology operates independently of daylight or weather conditions, delivering real-time intelligence 24/7. The integration of ICEYE’s sub-meter resolution SAR data into Saab’s C2 architecture will provide military and security forces with a continuous, detailed view of the operational environment across land, sea, and air domains.
By leveraging Saab’s sophisticated AI-powered data fusion capabilities, ICEYE’s SAR imagery can be processed to enhance:
- Target detection and classification – Identifying vehicles, ships, aircraft, and other assets in contested or obscured environments.
- Change detection analysis – Automatically detecting movements or alterations in infrastructure, force positions, and potential threats.
- Wide-area surveillance – Monitoring vast areas with a combination of high-revisit rate SAR imaging and AI-driven analytics.
- Maritime domain awareness – Enhancing vessel tracking, detecting illegal fishing, smuggling, and unregistered movements.
Enhancing Multi-Domain Operations and Decision Superiority
The collaboration between Saab and ICEYE is particularly focused on multi-domain operations (MDO)—the integration of space-based intelligence into land, air, sea, cyber, and electromagnetic warfare environments. This will enable:
- Near real-time data transmission from ICEYE satellites to Saab’s C2 systems, ensuring faster decision-making during critical operations.
- Seamless fusion of SAR imagery with sensor data from airborne radar, unmanned systems, and ground surveillance assets.
- Autonomous threat assessment through AI-driven anomaly detection and predictive analytics, reducing cognitive load on operators.
- Integration with electronic warfare (EW) systems, enabling rapid response to adversary activities by leveraging real-time intelligence from SAR imaging.
Saab’s C2 solutions, such as its GlobalEye airborne early warning system and 9LV combat management system, will benefit from ICEYE’s high-revisit radar data, providing commanders with a richer and more dynamic operational picture in both defensive and offensive scenarios.
Securing Critical Infrastructure and Civilian Applications
Beyond military applications, this partnership has significant implications for civilian security and emergency response. ICEYE’s SAR satellites can detect structural damage, monitor natural disasters, and track illegal border crossings in real time. The combined technology can be applied to:
- Disaster response and crisis management – Rapid assessment of flood zones, earthquakes, and other disasters to coordinate relief efforts.
- Critical infrastructure protection – Monitoring ports, power plants, and pipelines for unauthorized activity or structural failures.
- Space domain awareness – Detecting and tracking space debris or unauthorized satellite maneuvers.
With these capabilities, government agencies, emergency responders, and national security organizations can utilize Saab’s C2 platforms for a comprehensive, cross-domain intelligence solution that operates in peace, crisis, and conflict scenarios.
Industry Leaders Comment on the Collaboration
Carl‑Johan Bergholm, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab’s Surveillance Business Area, emphasized the operational advantage of this integration:
“Saab’s integration with ICEYE’s SAR data will provide real-time, high-resolution imagery through clouds and darkness, ensuring comprehensive surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. This will allow for faster, more informed decisions in complex operational environments, reinforcing defense superiority.”
Pekka Laurila, CSO and Co-Founder of ICEYE, underscored the importance of maintaining a strategic advantage:
“It is crucial to remain one step ahead, and effective situational awareness is key to this. By combining ICEYE’s cutting-edge SAR technology with Saab’s advanced C2 systems, we are paving the way for next-generation intelligence solutions, ensuring enhanced surveillance, security, and operational protection in multi-domain environments.”
Future Developments and Strategic Outlook
The MoU marks the beginning of an expanded collaboration, with Saab and ICEYE committed to exploring further integration opportunities. Future developments may include:
- AI-enhanced SAR analytics, automating threat detection and object recognition.
- Machine learning-driven predictive analysis, forecasting adversary movements and vulnerabilities.
- Interoperability with NATO and allied forces, enabling cross-border intelligence sharing.
- New radar satellite constellations, customized for defense and security applications.
By combining Saab’s battle-proven C2 solutions with ICEYE’s unmatched SAR imaging capabilities, this partnership is set to reshape the future of intelligence-driven operations—giving defense and security forces the tools needed to respond faster, operate smarter, and maintain superiority in an ever-changing global landscape.
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