Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a Swedish multi-role fighter of the fourth generation, developed in the late 1980s and put into service in 1996.
On September 14, it became known about the completion of familiarization exercises for Ukrainian pilots on Swedish aircraft, which began last month.
What is known about it, what is the speed and characteristics of Gripen — read the material.
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Gripen: Sweden and a request from Ukraine
In February, Sweden received a request from Ukraine regarding the possible provision of Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighters to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. European Truth wrote about this with reference to Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson.
— Yes. We, of course, know (about Ukraine’s request, —Ed.), President Zelensky also asked about this. When it comes to the Gripen, we now face limitations due to the fact that these aircraft are very important for maintaining our territorial integrity and sovereignty. “This will be a serious setback for our national defense resources,” he said.
During a visit to Stockholm on August 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian pilots had begun familiarization exercises on Swedish Gripen fighter jets.
— They also talked about another strong Swedish car — Gripen aircraft — this is the pride of Sweden. I am confident that Gripen can make our freedom much more secure. Test trials of Gripen with the participation of Ukrainian pilots have already begun. Today we discussed future steps regarding the possible acquisition of Swedish Gripen, — said the president after negotiations with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Characteristics of the Gripen: what makes the fighter special
While Sweden is considering Ukraine's request, military expert Alexey Getman notes that the Gripen is not a very unique fighter. The Gripen costs a little less than the F-15, but is also smaller in size.
Therefore, it consumes less fuel, but also has a smaller combat load that it can take on. This is a good aircraft, it can take a weight a little more than 5 tons (combat load), and the F-16 can carry almost 8 tons. This is a significant difference.
If we compare these aircraft, their flight range is almost the same. But not so many fighters were produced; now less than 250 units are in service with countries.
They are in service in a few countries in the world: Sweden, Slovakia, Poland, Malaysia. But the number of aircraft that are in service with these countries is small (counted in units, somewhere around 13, somewhere around 15).
Gripen, according to the expert, has such same advantages as others (eg F-16). This is an active phased array, engine, radius.
In general, all NATO aircraft (F-16, F-18 F-15, F-35, etc.) standing in service with countries that are members of the Alliance, better than any Russian aircraft. Even the most modern ones.
The price of a Gripen (one aircraft) is $30-60 million, depending on the configuration and supply conditions.
Characteristics of the JAS 39E/F Gripen
- crew: 1 (version E)/2 (version F) people;
- wingspan – 8.6 m;
- maximum take-off weight – 16.5 t;
- payload – up to 7.2 t ;
- engine – 10 thousand kgf in afterburner;
- has 10 suspension points;
- combat radius – 1,500 km.
