Micael Johansson, Saab’s chief executive, said his company intended to set up a research centre in the UK to be close to BAE Systems’ Tempest teams, which are based in Lancashire. The investment was proof of his company’s commitment to the UK and the programme, he stressed. “Combat air capability is extremely important for us and a security interest for Sweden,” he said. “This is absolutely a sign that it is critically important to us to be part of this combat air development. It is a sign of how important the UK is to us.” Saab, maker of the Gripen combat jet, employs more than 300 people in the UK and has long been a supplier to all three armed services. The number of jobs to be created by the £50m investment, which will focus on developing sensor and aeronautics technology, had not yet been decided, the company said.