STOCKHOLM, July 17 (Reuters) – Swedish defence and aerospace group Saab (SAABb.ST), reported a bigger-than-expected rise in operating earnings for the second quarter on Friday as booming demand in its major markets drove a sharp rise in sales and order bookings.
The maker of the Gripen fighter jet said in a statement that operating earnings rose to 2.79 billion Swedish crowns ($289 million) from 1.98 billion a year earlier, beating the 2.48 billion crown mean forecast in an LSEG poll of analysts.
Saab, which also makes military equipment ranging from missiles and advanced electronics to submarines, said like-for-like sales rose 29.8% year-on-year and that it remained focused on scaling up capacity to meet the surging demand.
($1 = 9.6637 Swedish crowns)
Reporting by Niklas Pollard, editing by Essi Lehto.
