Posted on 06/16/2017 10:20:44 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Sweden's answer to the F-35 has taken its maiden flight, maker Saab has revealed.
During the 40-minute flight over the eastern parts of Östergötland, the latest Gripen executed a series of maneuvers to test its systems, including extending and retracting its landing gear.
The Gripen E 'Smart Fighter' is aimed at markets not yet cleared to buy the troubled Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The latest version of the Gripen fighter jet has been unveiled by Swedish aircraft maker, Saab. The E fighter, the sixth variant in the Gripen family, is slightly bigger than previous versions
the $85 million Gripen E or Gripen E/F is completely redesigned with an all-new avionics suite and software that allows it to be modified at short notice without extensive layovers. It's fully NATO interoperable and includes Network Centric Warfare (NCW) technology for advanced data communications, dual data links, satellite communications, and video links.
The E fighter, the sixth variant in the Gripen family, is slightly bigger than previous versions, has a stronger engine and updated radar systems.
It is designed to carry more weapons further, and to track multiple threats using the latest type of radar. Weapons include guided glide bombs, long-range air-to-air missiles and heavy anti-ship armaments.
It also has a 27 mm Mauser BK27 gun, which can be used in air-to-surface attacks against land and sea targets.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4611988/Saab-s-Gripen-F-35-competitor-takes-maiden-flight.html#ixzz4kEZYvO5S Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Hmm...No “duck butt” rear spoiler.
Not stealthy but a lot cheaper
The F35 would kill it he Gripen before it was seen.
The Gripen is a fine aircraft. But you can’t kill what you can’t see, especially when it sees you and can kill from twice your range.
who does sweden bomb lately? If the islamisists take over sweden will they use those planes against other countries?
I don’t understand. This is Sweden, right? Are they worried someone wants to invade them? And if they haven’t noticed, they are kinda being invaded right now already.
And is this the same Sweden that loudly opposes war? THAT Sweden?
20+% increase in thrust and supercruise. I see the AIM9x capability but can it cue it with helmwt? BAE works with them so I would assume so.
The Swiss thought the C model was inferior to Rafale and Typhoon, but maybe this one will do.
The Gripen however is not at all in the same class as rhe F35 which is about twice its weight.
Note that lack of support for the F20 in the US has lead to Gripen replacing other nations’ F5 with Gripwn: the Thai for example but also considering is Botswana’s F5s and the Swiss’
For a while their Gripen were not Nato compliant with no in flight refueling.
I hear there are many surplus F-16 coming out that are pretty cheap. The Gripen will have to contend with those
Unless it has phenomenal range, an upgraded Hornet is a better bet. Sounds like all of the new stuff with this jet is in software and systems, not performance.
These days, victory goes to the side which gets permission to shoot first.
The new software and radar suites might be designed to “see” the F-35. Also, could perhaps mask the Gripen.
The Gripen E 'Smart Fighter' is aimed at markets not yet cleared to buy the troubled Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter?
Troubled, what?
F-35 had 20 kills is to 1 ratio at Red Flag?
Im sure the Swedish government will not be buying thier own they cant even control the muzzy invasion in thier country let alone purchase a flying can opener that will be fitted with confetti and balloons if bought to fight them
Oh, wait - that's their cars. Sure hope their aircraft are better.
The dirty secret is that stealth is dead. Note the “sniper” pod under the cockpit. That is the stealth defeater. It can see and identify aircaft from a very long range and feed that info to the air to air missiles to guide them onto the target. Buy either a new F-16v with all the new weapon goodies, or retrofit a good F-16c by adding the new good stuff. Pow! World beating aircraft for decades to come.
“F-35 had 20 kills is to 1 ratio at Red Flag? “
For that number to mean anything you must know the rules of engagement that were in place. It’s not uncommon for the “adversary forces” to be severely restricted. Once when I was flying an F-16 out there we were restricted to AIM -9 missiles only, radar set to 10nm max range only and no more than 6g’s in any turn. Nowadays I’m sure they make them turn off their sniper pods too.
Put 4 full up F-16 updated to state of the art radar and sniper pods versus 4 F-35’s? They’d be pretty evenly matched pre merge. Up close the F-16s would kick ass.
what is a sniper pod?
“These days, victory goes to the side which gets permission to shoot first.”
That’s the final statement. Politics, not machinery, wins or loses wars. WWII, Hitler refused to invade England and win, and, instead, invaded Russia and lost.
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