Gripen to be inducted into Brazilian Air Force service on Dec. 19

Brazil is set to officially add the Saab Gripen NG, locally designated as F-39, to the combat fleet of its air force on Dec. 19.

The first of five F-39s, delivered from Sweden between December 2021 and April 2022, are now at Anapolis Air Base near the federal capital Brasilia. They were initially used for testing and training flying from Sao Paulo and other places.

Now the Gripens will become operational and officially part of 1st Aviation Group and tasked with the defense and control of air space over nearby Brasilia.

This milestone will also mark the beginning of the retirement of the around 45 F-5EMs in service with the Brazilian Air Force.

defensenews

First Brazilian Gripen arrives in-country

The first Saab Gripen E for Brazil arrived in-country on 20 September, having been shipped from Norrköping in Sweden. 

This first Gripen E is a flight test instrumentation (FTI) aircraft (serial number FAB4100) that has been flying in Sweden since August 2019. Now in Brazil, FAB4100 will undergo further testing at the Gripen Flight Test Center (GFTC) in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo, before being officially presented to the country at the air force’s Aviator Day event in Brasília on 23 October. 

The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira: FAB) has ordered an initial batch of 28 Gripen Es and eight twin-seat Gripen Fs to be delivered through to 2024. Saab is to build 13 aircraft at its facility in Linköping, Sweden, with the remaining 23 being built in Brazil. 

janes

 

India re-opens competition to supply 110 fighters

A global competition to sell more than 100 fighters to the Indian air force re-opened for the third time in a decade on 6 April.
The IAF released a 73-page request for information to six companies to supply 110 single- and twin-seat fighters over a maximum of 12 years.
Facing a 3 July deadline, responses are expected from the Boeing F/A-18E/F Block III, Dassault Rafale F3R, EurofighterTyphoon, Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70, United Aircraft Corp MiG-35 and Saab Gripen E.
It will be a familiar competition for the six bidding teams. The same teams squared off in 2009 for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contract for 126 fighters. India selected the Rafale, but cancelled the contract seven years later.
Instead, the IAF awarded Dassault a contract to deliver 36 Rafales in 2016, and launched a competition for a contract to build 114 single-engine fighters, which limited the field to the F-16 and Gripen.
The IAF scrapped that contest two months ago under pressure from the Indian Congress to consider single- and twin-engined fighters.
The new RFI re-opens the competition to twin-engined fighters made in the USA, Western Europe and Russia.
The RFI sets no standards for the number of engines in the IAF’s future fighter, and repeatedly references the singular or plural term, “engine/s”, in requests for data about the propulsion system.
About 82 of the 110 fighters should be single-seat aircraft and the rest should be two-seat versions, the RFI says.
A maximum of about 16 or 17 fighters can be built outside the country, but the rest must be built within India by local companies or an Indian production agency, the document shows.
As expected, technology transfer and “Made in India” will be priorities in the IAF’s bid evaluations. The bidders must describe in their responses to the RFI how they will use Indian companies as suppliers for systems and aircraft production.
flightglobal

SAAB JAS-39 Gripen E makes maiden flight

The Saab Gripen E combat aircraft made its maiden flight from the company's Linköping production facility on 15 June.
The flight lasted for 40 minutes, during which the pilot "carried out a number of actions to demonstrate various test criteria including the retracting and extending of the landing gear," Saab said, adding that the aircraft performed as expected.
This milestone was slightly delayed from the original date of late 2016, as the company decided to finalise all of the software development ahead of commencing the flight trials process to reduce risk to the programme.
With 39-8 being used mainly for airframe and general flight control tests, a second prototype (39-9) will be used as a tactical systems testbed, while the third and final single-seat prototype (39-10) will fly as a production-standard airframe. The twin-seat Gripen NG demonstrator (39-7) that provided much of the risk mitigation for the Gripen E will continue to serve as a general test platform throughout the flight trials effort.
As previously highlighted by Saab, the Gripen E's enhancements over the earlier C/D models can be categorised in terms of survivability, sensors, general systems, payload, communications, performance, range, avionics, and human-machine interface/sensor fusion.
Sweden is due to receive the first of 60 Gripen Es (perhaps rising to 70, depending on a governmental decision that is to come) in 2019, with deliveries running through to 2026. In anticipation, the Swedish Air Force (SwAF) has already begun developing the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that it will employ for the type.
Speaking to reporters at the home of the service's Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) squadron at Malmen Airbase in southern Sweden, Major Johan Jeppsson, director of operations for the unit, said in late May that, "We see what new tactics might be needed, and we then introduce those to the operational squadrons.
janes

Switzerland to relaunch F-5 replacement effort in 2017

Switzerland is to relaunch its efforts to procure a new fighter type following the recent announcement by the Federal Department of Defence, that it is prematurely retiring a third of the ageing Northrop F-5E Tiger II fleet due to cracking.
The cracking in 16 of the country's 32 serviceable F-5Es (10 of which will be retired and 6 repaired and returned to service) coupled with the relatively small number of Boeing F/A-18 Hornets in service had left the air force in a 'critical' position. Once the retirements and repairs were complete, the country would be left with just 22 F-5E and 32 F/A-18C/D frontline fighters.
This state of affairs has been compounded by the Swiss population's decision in May 2014 to reject a deal to procure 22 Saab Gripen E jets to replace the F-5s and augment the F/A-18s. Under that proposal, the Swiss Air Force was to receive a number of Gripen C/D fighters in 2016 ahead of the start of Gripen E deliveries in 2018. The F-5s were to be phased out from 2016, with deliveries of the Gripen E running through to 2021.
According to the government, the new process should include two of the three shortlisted candidates from the previous effort; namely, the Gripen E and the Dassault Rafale (the Eurofighter Typhoon is no longer considered a 'favourite', the RTS report said). It added that 'a US aircraft', most likely the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, should also be included.
When the F-5 replacement programme was launched in 2007, Saab submitted its Gripen C/D, Boeing its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault its Rafale, and Eurofighter its Typhoon. Less than a year later in 2008, Boeing dropped out of the competition citing differences between the requirements and the Super Hornet's capabilities.
The competition stalled in 2010, but was resurrected in mid-2011 after intense lobbying by Swiss industry, with Saab then offering its Gripen NG instead. Later that year, the Gripen NG (later to become the Gripen E) was selected, only to have the deal scuppered in the referendum. This decision effectively sent the air force back to square one in its efforts to replace its ageing F-5s.
janes

Swedish Gripen Es to be new-build rather than re-manufactured

The Swedish government is set to amend the Gripen E production contract so that the aircraft will be new-build rather than re-manufactured airframes.
The country's parliament is said to have agreed the move to procure newly-built aircraft as opposed to re-manufactured Gripen Cs some weeks ago, and approved the decision by a large majority. The move was prompted by a need to keep the Swedish Air Force's Gripen C fleet at full strength until the service fully transitions over to the Gripen E.
Under the terms of the original production contract awarded in December 2013, Saab was to convert 60 of SwAF's Gripen C platforms into the latest-variant Gripen E. The air force's 25 Gripen Ds would remain in service as lead-in fighter trainers until the full fleet of Gripen Es are delivered by 2026.
Gripen C and Gripen E share little in terms of common structures and systems.
It is not thought that this contract amendment will affect the Gripen E delivery schedule of 2018 through to 2026. Price tag for the 60 aircraft remains unchanged.
Besides maintaining the SwAF's frontline fighter strength, the change in the production contract also resulted in freeing up a larger pool of Gripen C aircraft which can be leased to prospective Gripen E customers while they await their new aircraft - this was something that both Switzerland and Brazil had requested. While the SwAF had agreed to both of these countries borrowing some of its Gripen Cs, not much spare capacity was left for it to agree to too many more such requests.
Sweden is also considering an increase in the numbers of aircraft to be procured to 70. The SwAF had originally requested between 60 and 80, and the recent tensions between Russia and Ukraine have refocused the political agenda to national defence.
janes

Sweden May Fund Gripen-E Even Without International Partner

The Swedish government has signaled it is ready to roll back a stipulation in its 2012 agreement with Saab that required an international partner to be in place before funding could continue for the Gripen-E project.
The government’s new, softer line, reinforced by the Ministry of Defense, puts the Gripen-E project into the category of “too big to fail.”
In the 2012 Gripen-E project agreement with Saab, the MoD stipulated that it held the right to rescind funding if an international partner could not be found to share costs and develop export markets for the aircraft. The Swedish state has already invested more than $300 million in the Gripen-E development program.
Saab has now turned its attention to Brazil. Sweden continues to negotiate a broad industry partnership to produce an initial 36 Gripen-Es for the Brazilian Air Force in cooperation with the country’s aerospace sector. Under this industrial program, Saab is building an aircraft production facility outside Sao Paulo.
Under a framework agreement signed in February 2013, Saab is contracted to deliver 60 Gripen-E aircraft to the Swedish Air Force. This could rise to 80 when the defense allocation is increased significantly after 2015 to accommodate an expanded 40-year Gripen-E program.
defensenews

Sweden May Fund Gripen-E Even Without International Partner

The Swedish government has signaled it is ready to roll back a stipulation in its 2012 agreement with Saab that required an international partner to be in place before funding could continue for the Gripen-E project.
The government’s new, softer line, reinforced by the Ministry of Defense, puts the Gripen-E project into the category of “too big to fail.”
In the 2012 Gripen-E project agreement with Saab, the MoD stipulated that it held the right to rescind funding if an international partner could not be found to share costs and develop export markets for the aircraft. The Swedish state has already invested more than $300 million in the Gripen-E development program.
Sweden had long pinned its Gripen-E international partner hopes on Switzerland, but this avenue of cooperation was closed on May 18 when the Swiss rejected a government plan to spend $3.5 billion on acquiring 22 aircraft from Saab.
Saab has now turned its attention to Brazil. Sweden continues to negotiate a broad industry partnership to produce an initial 36 Gripen-Es for the Brazilian Air Force in cooperation with the country’s aerospace sector. Under this industrial program, Saab is building an aircraft production facility outside Sao Paulo.
Under a framework agreement signed in February 2013, Saab is contracted to deliver 60 Gripen-E aircraft to the Swedish Air Force. This could rise to 80 when the defense allocation is increased significantly after 2015 to accommodate an expanded 40-year Gripen-E program.
defensenews

Swiss voters reject Gripen purchase

Swiss voters have rejected the country's planned purchase of 22 Saab Gripen E in a landmark referendum on 18 May.
In a major blow to Saab, the country voted 53.4% against the proposed purchase of the Gripen E to replace the F-5 Tiger II fighter aircraft.
The Gripen E had been selected by Switzerland in November 2011 to replace the F-5s.
The 54 Tiger II fleet has been in Swiss service since 1978 and is scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2016. Meanwhile, the other element of the Swiss Air Force's combat fleet, its 32 Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornets, is itself currently scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2025. With the purchase of the Gripen now rejected, Switzerland urgently needs a solution to maintain the country's air policing capabilities.
A short-term solution could involve upgrading and refurbishing the country's existing Tiger II fleet, which could be maintained in service until at least 2020.
Other options include relaunching the original Tiger replacement programme, in which the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale had also competed. Alternatively, with the purchase of Gripens now ruled out, Switzerland could lease a fleet of the aircraft, as the Czech Republic and Hungary do.
janes

The Planet’s Best Stealth Fighter Isn’t Made in America, it's the swedish JAS 39 E

In 2005, Lockheed Martin labeled the F-35, the stealthy new jet they were building for the Pentagon, as a “fifth-generation” fighter. Ironically, it was a term that they had borrowed from Russia to describe a different stealthy fighter, the F-22.
But if “fifth-generation” means more than “the ultimate driving machine,” a sixth generation will emerge. Saab—yes, that Saab—can argue that it has built the first such aircraft. The Swedish plane has got a mouthful of a name: the JAS 39E Gripen. But it could well be the future of air combat.
The concept behind the “fifth generation” of fighters is almost 30 years old. It dates to the final turning point in the Cold War, when the Reagan administration accelerated the arms race, believing (correctly) that the Soviet economic engine would throw a rod first. The F-22 was designed for a challenging but simple war: if you were in a NATO fighter and the nose was pointed east, pretty much everyone headed your way was trying to kill you.
The world has changed a bit. Operation Allied Force in 1999 presaged the air campaigns of the 2000s, where targets were soft but hard to find, and harder yet to pick out of the civilian environment. We can say little for certain about the nature of future conflict, except that it is likely to be led by, and revolve around, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). For the individual pilot, sailor or soldier, that means having better sense of the conflict zone is key.
Demographics and economics are squeezing the size of the world’s militaries—nations with more than 100 combat aircraft are few and getting fewer. There are no blank checks for overruns.
Much of the technology of 1995, let alone 1985, has a Flintstones look from today’s perspective. Software is no longer what makes machines work; an iPhone is hardware that is valued because of the apps that it supports. This technology is characterized by development and deployment cycles measured in months. In aerospace, the lead in materials and manufacturing has gone to the commercial side.
The conundrum facing fighter planners is that, however smart your engineering, these aircraft are expensive to design and build, and have a cradle-to-grave product life that is far beyond either the political or technological horizon.
The reason that the JAS 39E may earn “sixth generation” tag is that it has been designed with these issues in mind. Software comes first: the new hardware runs the latest Mission System 21 software, the latest roughly-biennial release in the series that started with the earlier, A and B models of the aircraft.
Long life requires adaptability, both across missions and through-life. The Gripen was designed as a small aircraft with a relatively large payload. And by porting most of the software to the new version, the idea is that all of the C and D models’ weapons and capabilities, and then some, are ready to go on the E.
The Swedes have invested in state-of-the-art sensors, including what may be the first in-service electronic warfare system using gallium nitride technology. It’s significant that a lot of space is devoted to the system used to pick out friendly from hostile aircraft; a good IFF (“identification friend-or-foe”) system is most important in a confused situation where civilian, friendly, neutral, questionable and hostile actors are sharing the same airspace.
Sweden’s ability to develop its own state-of-the-art fighters has long depended on blending home-grown and imported technology. Harvesting technology rather than inventing it becomes more important as commercial technology takes a leading role and becomes more global. The JAS 39E engine is from the U.S., the radar from Britain and the infra-red search and track system is from Italy. Much of the airframe may be built in Brazil.
However, what should qualify the JAS 39E for a “sixth generation” tag is what suits it most for a post-Cold War environment. It is not the world’s fastest, most agile or stealthiest fighter. That is not a bug, it is a feature. The requirements were deliberately constrained because the JAS 39E is intended to cost less to develop, build and operate than the JAS 39C, despite doing almost everything better.
It’s an ambitious goal, and it is the first time that Sweden has undertaken such a project in the international spotlight. But if it is successful it will teach lessons that nobody can afford not to learn.
thedailybeast

Brazil could produce Gripens sold in in South America and Africa

The Swedish government is working on a joint strategy with Saab to extend the Gripen-E combat fighter offer to Brazil to include a radically up-scaled industrial dimension that would see Brazil become the primary production base for future Gripen-E sales to South America and Africa through a joint venture with Embraer.
Sweden plans to convene an inter-departmental meeting between ministers pivotal to the Gripen-E sale to Brazil in January.
The Swedish government has already confirmed that part of the 36 Gripen-E combat aircraft earmarked in Saab’s preliminary sale contract will be manufactured at a new plant Brazil. This facility would produce the Gripen-E or two seat Gripen-F aircraft in support of any future sales to other South American and African countries.
The two governments are also discussing an interim solution, ahead of the delivery of the first Gripen-Es in 2018, under which Brazil could lease Gripen C/D one or two seat combat aircraft from the Swedish Air Force’s existing or surplus fleet and stock.
The Swedish Air Force’s current stock of older version Gripens includes around 87 Gripen-C aircraft and 50 Gripen-A fighters dating to the mid-1990s. The lease proposal is likely to include a possible conversion of Gripen-As to Gripen-C type status which would be funded by the Swedish state.
defensenews

Brazil may wait over four years for new fighters, says Saab

Brazil is not likely to receive the first of its new fighter jets from Saab AB for more than four years, underscoring the need for stopgap aircraft in coming years.
Brazil's Gripen NG should arrive after Sweden takes the first deliveries of the next-generation aircraft in early 2018.
That will leave the Brazilian air force waiting to replenish an old, shrinking fleet.
While Brazil waits, the country is negotiating with Sweden to lease existing Gripen C/D, in order to offset the loss of a dozen Mirage fighters at the end of this year.
The Swedish air force is flying 98 Gripens, according to Saab's website, and has ordered the upgrade of 60 Gripen C to the next-generation model, with deliveries beginning in 2018.
The Swiss armed forces have also ordered 22 of the newest Gripens.
reuters

Saab To Upgrade 60 Gripens for Sweden

Saab has been given the go-ahead to modify Gripen C fighters to the new-generation E standard.
Saab said the order to begin serial production for 60 of the significantly upgraded Gripen E version would allow initial deliveries to get underway in 2018 and be completed by 2026.
Gripen E offers an active, electronically scanned array radar supplied by Selex ES, more weapons along with improved avionics and engine performance.
Switzerland has selected the new aircraft standard and is on course to purchase 22 machines subject to a referendum on the procurement expected next year.
A modified D-model trainer is already test-flying the latest updates and an E standard aircraft is in production ahead of a first flight in 2015. A further two test aircraft will also be added to the program.
defensenews

Saab to integrate Meteor on Gripen E

Saab has received an order from Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for the integration of the weapon system Meteor on Gripen E.
The received order is an addition to the agreement with FMV, announced on 15 February 2013, which includes the development and modification of Gripen E for Sweden during the period 2013-2026.
Meteor is a Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) developed to enable engagement of airborne targets at long distances. The missile is the result of a European collaborative project involving Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Great Britain. At the end of June 2013 Saab in cooperation with FMV conducted the first test firing of the serial production configuration of Meteor. Gripen was thereby the first combat fighter system in the world with the capability to fire this version of Meteor that has been developed for Gripen, Eurofigther and Rafale.
saabgroup

SAAB Starts Assembly of first Gripen E starts

Saab has started the assembly of the Gripen E. First to be constructed is the front fuselage of the first pre-production test aircraft 39-8.
The construction of the Gripen E begins with the manufacturing and assembly of all parts of the fuselage; the largest and most time consuming part of the airframe. These parts will then be joined together and assembled into a complete airframe. This is followed by an intensive construction period to install cables, mount systems, the outer shell and other equipment.
saabgroup