The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a Swedish fourth-generation multirole fighter aircraft developed in the late 1980s and introduced into service in 1996.
What is known about it, what is the speed and characteristics of Gripen – read in the material.
Gripen: Sweden and the 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. This was reported by European Pravda, citing Swedish Defense Minister Poul Johnson.
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– Yes. We are, of course, aware (of Ukraine's request, – Ed .), President Zelensky also asked for it. When it comes to Gripen, we are now facing restrictions due to the fact that these aircraft are very important for maintaining our territorial integrity and sovereignty. This will be a serious obstacle in terms of 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.
— We also talked about another powerful Swedish machine — the Gripen aircraft — the pride of Sweden. I am sure that the Gripen can make our freedom much more secure. Gripen test trials with Ukrainian pilots have already begun. Today we discussed future steps regarding the possible receipt of Swedish Gripen, — the president said after talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Canada Considers Changing Fighter Jet Supplier: F-35s to Become Swedish Saab Gripen
Canada may switch its supplier of new combat aircraft for the Air Force, abandoning the American F-35s from Lockheed Martin in favor of the Swedish Saab Gripen, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said in an interview with the CBC.
The minister said while the Canadian Air Force had previously identified the F-35 as a necessary platform, the government was now reviewing that decision.
“We are looking at whether we really need all of the aircraft we buy to be F-35s,” Blair said.
In 2022, Canada awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to buy 88 F-35 fighter jets worth a total of $13.5 billion. Of those, 16 have already been paid for and are scheduled to enter service early next year.
However, as the minister noted, the government may limit itself to only the first batch of 16 aircraft, and purchase the rest from European manufacturers, in particular from Saab.
Gripen specifications: what makes the fighter jet special
Military expert Alexey Getman notes that the Gripen is not a very unique fighter. The Gripen is slightly cheaper than the F-15, but it is also smaller.
Therefore, it uses less fuel, but also has a smaller combat load that it can take on itself. This is a good aircraft, it can take a weight of slightly more than 5 tons (combat load), and the F-16 – almost 8 tons. This is a significant difference.
If you compare these planes, their flight range is almost the same. But not many fighters were made, now there are less than 250 units in service with countries.
They are in service in a few countries of the world: Sweden, Slovakia, Poland, Malaysia. But the number of aircraft that are in service in these countries is small (counted in units, somewhere around 13, somewhere around 15 pieces).
According to the expert, Gripen has the same advantages as others (for example, the F-16). This is an active phased array, an engine, a radius.
In general, all NATO aircraft (F-16, F-18, F-15, F-35, etc.) in service with the countries that are members of the Alliance are better than any Russian aircraft. Even the most modern ones.
The price of Gripen (one aircraft) is $30-60 million, depending on the configuration and supply conditions.
JAS 39E/F Gripen Specifications
- crew: 1 (version E) / 2 (version F) persons;
- 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.
