New jobs are coming to Central New York, and they’re designed to keep Americans safe.

Saab Inc. in Syracuse supplies the U.S. military with radar systems, and says the Syracuse area is driving its expansion in New York state.

“We provide radar solutions for the Marine Corps and the Navy,” said Greg Fedele, Saab’s U.S. chief financial officer.

Fedele and U.S. Head of Human Resources Suzanne Anderson provided a tour of the company’s U.S. headquarters in Syracuse on Wednesday.

“We’ve about doubled in size in the past five years in the U.S., and Syracuse drove that growth,” she said.

While it is a Swedish company, Fedele said Saab’s primary client in the U.S. and Syracuse is the U.S. military, and its involvement is expanding.

“We’ll get a contract from the government, or a prime to the government — we’re a major subcontractor, to build or supply a radar sensor system,” Fedele said.

They build advanced radars for manned and unmanned air traffic control aboard the Navy’s aircraft carriers and ships, while also working with the FAA on surface surveillance programs and with a separate radar manufacturing program for the Marine Corps.

“We build them out with the multi-mission radar and then ship them to a customer who is the prime. Then they go to the Marine Corps for any mission they deem they need them for,” Fedele said.

In addition to manufacturing, he said testing of the complex equipment also takes place in Central New York, ensuring it’s ready for anything.

“Here is one of our environmental testing chambers,” he said. “This is where we can test the radars in all different environments to make sure they operate for the customer.”

With a customer like the U.S. military, Anderson said there’s no shortage of demand, and with their ongoing expansion comes more jobs to Central New York.

“We have about 150 openings with the majority being in Syracuse, New York,” she said. “These jobs range from engineering disciplines, software systems and mechanical manufacturing. Our mission is keep keeping people in society safe.”

Fedele emphasized the company plans continue strengthening its roots in New York state and Central New York.

“Any contracts we win, whether it’s delivered out of Syracuse or one of the other facilities, it’s still supported by the home office here in Syracuse,” he said.

For more information on the positions, reach out to the company directly.