For the past many years, the Saab brand has been associated with the reliable and stylish cars it used to make. It was an independent brand for a time, although in the 1990s it joined the American giant General Motors. That marked the fate of the Swedish company, which officially stopped manufacturing cars in 2014.
However, the Saab firm is still in force, since it is a very important player in the European defense industry, for which it produces and manufactures everything from surveillance equipment to weapons and combat aircraft.
Recently, it has managed to become news again thanks to its new creation, called Sabertooth: a platform that incorporates the latest technology and has been designed to be used underwater. It is an agile and versatile vehicle designed to access remote places or facilities that are difficult to access due to weather conditions.
Available in single and double hull, the Sabertooth is a very powerful research, maintenance and repair (IMR) platform that can be used in a wide range of subsea operations and can remain underwater for more than half a year without maintenance. Saab tested the capabilities of its new submarine at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), the same place where astronauts prepare for their space journeys.
Unlike what we were used to with the rest of its vehicles, it does not have a pretentious design, as it looks like a flat metal platform with a nondescript appearance. However, this proposal has extraordinary capabilities and has been manufactured to spend most of its life below the surface. It only requires a relatively close docking base, to which it will join autonomously when required.
It measures 3.6 meters long and half a meter wide. When fully loaded with cameras, sonar and a variety of tools, the Sabertooth weighs up to 800kg in its single configuration and up to 2,000kg in its double configuration.
The submarine works with electric batteries, with a capacity of 10 kWh or 30 kWh, depending on the version. It recharges in its docking unit, where it is also kept safe from potential threats. The machine can be submerged to depths of up to 3,000 meters thanks to its robust construction.
There are several ways to pilot the Sabertooth: through a fiber optic cable through which the operator sends instructions to the machine or through wireless communications through the water. It is also capable of operating autonomously, and that is where its main virtue lies.
It achieves this by being equipped with an inertial navigation system and a "doppler", thanks to which it can easily find its way to its target, whether this is the docking unit or its "work" location. Sonar and video cameras also contribute to safe navigation below the surface. In addition, it comes factory-equipped with mission planning software.
Several companies have already been interested in this new underwater technology. For example, PXGEO, based in the United Arab Emirates, has just placed an order of more than 60 million euros for a fleet of 20 units (each unit has a cost of about 3 million euros). It is the largest order Saab has received to date, with deliveries expected to begin in 2025. You can learn more about the new submarine in the video accompanying this article.
