JAS 39 Gripen Swedish Multirole Fighter Aircraft

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. It was designed to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen in the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet). The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with a relaxed stability design and fly-by-wire flight controls. It is powered by the Volvo RM12 and has a top speed of Mach 2. Later aircraft are modified for NATO interoperability standards and to undertake air to air refueling. In 1979, the Swedish government began development studies for aircraft capable of fighter, attack, and reconnaissance missions to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen. A new design from Saab was selected and developed as the JAS 39, first flying in 1988. Following two crashes during flight development and subsequent alterations to the aircraft's flight control software, the Gripen entered service with the Swedish Air Force in 1996. Upgraded variants, featuring more advanced avionics and adaptations for longer mission times, began entering service in 2003. o market the aircraft internationally, Saab formed partnerships and collaborative efforts with overseas aerospace companies. One example of such efforts was Gripen International, a joint partnership between Saab and BAE Systems formed in 2001. Gripen International was responsible for marketing the aircraft, and was heavily involved in the successful export of the type to South Africa; the organization was later dissolved amidst allegations of bribery being employed to secure foreign interest and sales. On the export market, the Gripen has achieved moderate success in sales to nations in Central Europe, South Africa, and Southeast Asia; bribery has been suspected in some of these procurements, but authorities closed the investigation in 2009. A further version designated Gripen JAS 39E/F, is beginning deliveries to the Swedish and Brazilian air forces as of 2019; it has previously been referred to as Gripen NG or Super-JAS. The changes include the adoption of a new power plant, the General Electric F414G, an active electronically scanned array radar and significantly increased internal fuel capacity. Saab has proposed other derivatives, including a navalized Gripen Maritime for carrier operations and an optionally manned aircraft for unmanned operations. Sweden and Brazil have ordered the Gripen E/F and Switzerland initially selected it for procurement. As of September 2019, 298 Gripens have been built. Gripen offers high agility, advanced target acquisition systems - including a powerful multi-role radar, modern weapons, low environmental signatures, and comprehensive electronic warfare (EW) suite. The JAS39 Gripen system is designed to counter all current and future threats. The aircraft has been developed for the Swedish Air Force by the Industry Group JAS (SAAB, Ericsson, Volvo Aero, and FFV Aerotech) in close cooperation with the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV). In partnership with Sweden’s Saab, British Aerospace is engaged in a number of marketing campaigns for the highly capable Gripen fourth-generation combat aircraft. Engineering activity associated with improving the operability of the aircraft in the export market is now underway. In 1995 Saab and British Aerospace (BAe) signed an agreement for the joint marketing of the Gripen. Hereby, Saab gained access to the global sales organization of British Aerospace, as well as to its governmental support in international marketing. British Aerospace will adapt the export version of the Gripen to NATO standards, and also produce certain subsystems for the aircraft. The agreement, which followed on more than a decade of cooperation between the two companies, became the basis for consolidation between Saab and British Aerospace. It also paves the way for SaabCs deepened integration with the European aerospace industry. Saab intends to be an active player along with British Aerospace, Aerospatiale (France), DASA (Germany), and CASA (Spain) in the creation of an integrated European defense and aerospace industry - Eurospace. In November 1998, South Africa announced that it will probably buy 28 Gripens. The value of the order is 12 billion SEK (1.5 billion USD) and the contract was expected to be signed in May or June of 1999. During the coming 10-15 years, Saab hopes to export at least 400 aircraft, on a total market for fighter aircraft estimated at 2,000 aircraft. The Gripen is currently being offered to Chile, the Philippines, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, and Brazil. Another candidate, Poland, recently announced that it will choose the Boeing F 18 Hornet. An important factor when offering the Gripen for export is the aircraft missile system. Currently, the Gripens used by the Swedish Air Force are armed with AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-9 Sidewinder, the Saab Dynamics RBS 15 for ship targets, and the Maverick ground attack missile. Saab Dynamics cooperates with the major European missile manufacturers in the development of new air-to-air missiles for the Eurofighter, the Rafale, and the Gripen. The two main projects currently underway are the Meteor and the IRIS-T. The Meteor is a radar-guided, medium range (10-120 km.) air-to-air missile, which will compete with future versions of the Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Meteor program features Matra BAe Dynamics, Saab Dynamics, Alenia Difesa, Marconi, and German LFK. The IRIS-T is an IR-guided, short-range air-to-air missile, primarily funded by Germany for the Eurofighter. The project group includes Bodenseewerk Geratechnik and Saab Dynamics.