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Sweden's Gripen competes with the F-35 By BOB COX rcox@star-telegram.com FARNBOROUGH, England — Just a few years ago, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter was widely viewed as the world’s leading next-generation, high-technology aircraft, with no strong Western competitor. That’s no longer the case. Saab, the Swedish industrial conglomerate better known in the U.S. for performance cars than airplanes, has impressed potential aircraft buyers with an aggressive marketing campaign for its upgraded Gripen fighter jet. Denmark and Norway, two nations that have invested in the F-35, are now holding competitions pitting the F-35 against the Gripen. Denmark is...

FARNBOROUGH 2008: Saab pitches Gripen NG as JSF alternative The export market for the Saab Gripen fighter is starting to take off. “It’s all happening at a tremendous pace” says Bob Kemp, senior vice president for international sales & marketing at Gripen International, the company that handles sales of the Swedish aircraft. In the days leading up to the show, Gripen International submitted a proposal to Switzerland, claiming the Gripen offered the most cost-effective and proportionate replacement for the Swiss Air Force’s ageing Northrop Grumman F-5E/F fighters. Rival aircraft such as the Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon would both...

Saab updates sales vision for next-generation Gripen By Niall O'Keeffe Saab's Gripen Demo aircraft, intended as a bridge to the next generation version of the fighter, has completed its third test flight, and is expected to log between 40 and 60 by year-end, as the project builds towards its second phase. In its Phase I guise the demonstrator incorporates a new landing gear and weapons pylons, plus a General Electric F414G engine. Phase II upgrades will include a new modular avionics system, which Saab says will use layers and partitions to isolate system components and separate flight-critical from mission functions....

Gripen Demonstrator – The Future has Arrived! (Source: Gripen International; issued April 23, 2008) Today in Linköping, Sweden, Saab and its powerful network of leading international aerospace partners, proudly unveiled the first of the next generation of combat fighters, the Gripen Demonstrator aircraft. In an event attended by over 700 international guests which was broadcast ‘live’ around the world, the Gripen Demonstrator (Demo) aircraft was ‘rolled-out’ in a spectacular ceremony in front of the world’s media. The Gripen Demonstrator programme is the pathfinder for a whole new generation of technologies and capabilities to ensure that Gripen remains at the leading...

Czech military receives 24 U.S. AMRAAM missiles www.chinaview.cn 2008-01-24 04:23:18 PRAGUE, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Czech military has received 24 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) from the United States, Defense Ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek said on Wednesday. The AMRAAM missiles are to improve the combat qualities of the Jas-39 Gripen fighters the Czech Republic has leased from Sweden, the Czech news agency CTK quoted Cirtek as saying. The Czech-U.S. contract for the purchase of AMRAAMs was signed in 2005. The Czech military has leased a total of 14 Jas-39 Gripens from Sweden for 10 years for 19.6 billion crowns...

Sweden's Saab says Swiss mulling Gripen fighters Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:25am EST STOCKHOLM, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Swedish aerospace firm Saab (SAABb.ST: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday that Switzerland was mulling buying its state-of-art Gripen fighter in a deal potentially worth billions of Swedish crowns. Saab said that Switzerland had requested it to tender for a contract to replace its fleet of F-5 fighters around the year 2013. Saab is one of four candidates. The Swedish firm will submit its offer in the middle of 2008 with a decision due in 2009. "There is massive interest in Gripen...

US concerned over Norway's $8bn fighter selection programme, Saab's Gripen may be favoured news 15 January 2008 Helsinki: Almost immediately after the Eurofighter consortium distanced itself from the Norwegian fighter replacement programme in December last year, citing alterations in the bidding process as favouring the US JSF-35 programme, it is now the turn of the US to cry foul saying that the process may actually be skewed in favour of the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen-N programme. Post-withdrawal of the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter from the competition, the Lockheed Martin JSF-35 and the Saab JAS-39 Gripen-N fighters are now in contention for the...

Fit for the fight: Competition in the fighter market By Craig Hoyle Competition in the fighter market is as keen as ever, with rivals vying to fill big-ticket programmes. But will US Congress clip the F-22's export wings? The high-profile fighter sector has grabbed many of the headlines during 2007. India at last launched a contest for 126 aircraft, while the subject of stealth - primarily in the form of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, but also through the company's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - has exercised nations including Japan and South Korea, and prompted the US Congress to address...

Sweden to renew Gripens as Thailand selects Swedish fighter By Graham Warwick Thailand has selected the Saab Gripen multirole fighter as the Swedish air force signs a contract to upgrade its aircraft and fund a demonstrator for the next-generation Gripen. The Thai cabinet has approved the budget to procure 12 Gripen C/Ds and two Saab Erieye airborne early warning aircraft for the Royal Thai Air Force. The Gripens will replace the RTAF's Northrop F-5B/Es. Phase 1 of the two-stage procurement covers six Gripens and one Erieye, and is budgeted at 19,000 billion baht ($600 million) between 2008 and 2012. The...

October 19, 2007: Thailand has decided to replace its aging F-5 fighters with a dozen Swedish JAS-39 Gripen fighters. These will cost about $55 million each (with spares, support and training.) The 14 ton JAS-39 is roughly comparable with the latest versions of the F-16. It is also used by Sweden, South Africa, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. The first six will be delivered before 2011, the second six will not all arrive until 2017. The slow delivery is because Thailand does not have the money to buy the aircraft all at once. At the same time, two Swedish Erieye...

Saab to fly Future Gripen by late 2008 By Craig Hoyle Saab, meanwhile, expects to fly a two-seat demonstrator for an increased-size Future Gripen by late 2008, with risk-sharing partners including General Electric, Honeywell, Terma and Thales now onboard. The aircraft's outer mould line has not yet been frozen, but windtunnel tests have recently been conducted by Switzerland's Ruag. The design features a relocated and strengthened main undercarriage, two additional stores pylons and a 35-40% increase in internal fuel capacity. "We have been very pleased with what we have seen, and with the performance of the [GE] F414 engine," says...

Sweden offers joint development of jets, submarines to India NEW DELHI: Keen to cast off the ghost of the Bofors kickbacks scam, Sweden has proposed new avenues of defence cooperation to India, including joint development of jet fighters and submarines. "The Swedish government is proposing to invest in Gripen fighters and is keen that India too take a investment stake in jointly developing these new generation fighters," visiting Swedish Vice Minister for Defence H G Wessburg said. Gripen is one of six jets vying for India's biggest ever global tender worth over Rs 42,000 crore (10 billion dollars) for the...

Air force likely to opt for Swedish jet fighter Multi-role Gripen favoured over SU-30 WASSANA NANUAM The air force is set to abandon its preference for Russia's giant, fuel-hungry SU-30 fighters in favour of Sweden's lightweight, multi-role JAS-39 Gripen, a source said yesterday. Purchase of the SU-30 jets was seen as close to a done deal under the ousted Thaksin Shinawatra government. The cabinet is willing to allow the force to buy six of the 12 jets it has requested over the next five years, the source said. Only after five years will the air force be able to consider...

Sweden to approve Saab's Gripen upgrade By Craig Hoyle The Swedish government is poised to approve a key demonstration programme that will support the continued development of the Saab Gripen for the nation's air force and potential future export customers. Due to be considered by the Swedish parliament last week, the project will lead to test flights between next year and 2010 of an improved two-seat JAS39B equipped with a new engine, redesigned undercarriage, 40% increase in internal fuel capacity and a 2t growth in maximum take-off weight to 16t. The enhancements were outlined last year as part of an...

Sweden sheds its nuclear fears, offers India fighter jets Indrani Bagchi [5 May, 2007 l 0245 hrs ISTlTIMES NEWS NETWORK] NEW DELHI: Sweden will pitch to sell the most advanced version of its multi-role fighter aircraft Saab Gripen, to India, even as this northern European nation, a known champion of non-proliferation, has clearly softened its stand towards India's nuclear deal. Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt, on a visit to India, told journalists on Friday, "India is emerging as a significant global player in areas such as Asian stability, climate change etc, and we need to deepen the dialogue." In his...

Today Norway and Saab, through Gripen International, have signed a Letter of Agreement regarding the future development of the Gripen fighter. The total value of this agreement is some 150 million Norwegian Kronor (approx. $25 million). This agreement strengthens Gripen´s chances of being selected as the future fighter aircraft for the Norwegian Air Force. The Norwegian Defence Minister Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen and the Swedish Defence Minister Mikael Odenberg, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on co-operation in development work on the future versions of Gripen. This agreement is an important step for Gripen as a candidate to be selected as Norway´s future...

Sweden 'needs war to sell fighter planes' Sweden's military leadership wants to see JAS Gripen fighter planes sent into combat in Afghanistan and Africa, partly as a means of showcasing the planes for the export market. If the government accepts the military's forthcoming proposals, it will be the first time since a 1962 UN mission to Congo that Swedish Air Force planes are used in armed battle. Speaking to Sveriges Radio, Major General Jan Jonsson foresees JAS Gripen fighter aircraft being deployed in direct battle situations. "We can't rule out using air force back-up in difficult situations where our ground...

Excerpt - A Czech fighter-jet pilot was aiming "at the wrong target" when he nearly shot down a civilian aircraft during a military training exercise in northern Sweden last week, a Czech defence ministry spokesman said Monday. But for now "no one can say whether it was his fault," spokesman Andrej Cirtek said. The incident occurred Wednesday but was reported late Sunday by Swedish military officials in charge of an ongoing investigation. ~ snip ~

Czech Gripens will protect Baltic countries -- press Prague- Czech Swedish-made Gripen fighters will protect Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, complying with the request by Lithuanian Defence Minister Juozas Olekas addressed to his Czech counterpart Jiri Sedivy on behalf of the Baltic states, Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) writes. The three countries do not have supersonic aircraft and NATO states take turns in the protection of their airspace, MfD writes. It quotes Sedivy as saying that he told Olekas that the Czech Republic can provide its Gripens for three to four months and that talks about it have been conducted for several...

Saab Receives FMV Funding for JAS-39 Gripen Upgrades Posted 10-Jul-2006 10:17 Saab received a SEK 1 billion ($130 million equivalent) order from the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV), covering continued development of the JAS-39 Gripen fighter. The order reportedly covers various software upgrades, as well as other development activities supporting the long term development of the Gripen system. Work will be performed at Saab Aerosystems and Saab Aerotech in Linkoping, Sweden as well as at Saab Avitronics in Jarfalla and Kista, Sweden. See release. The JAS-39 Gripen is a 4th generation lightweight fighter in service since 1993, and adopted by...

Gripen – The Nordic Solution At two separate press conferences – one in Oslo on 15 May and one in Copenhagen on 16 May, Gripen International presented details of its formal offers to Norway and Denmark for a new version of the Gripen fighter to replace these countries ageing F-16 aircraft. An enhanced standard of the Gripen new generation fighter, dubbed Gripen N for Norway and Gripen DK for Denmark respectively, with longer range and greater payload, have been offered in response to these countries’ respective requirements to deliver up to 48 aircraft from 2016. Industrial co-operation and development on...

FEBRUARY 2006 India’s quest for fighter could cost losers dearly By Reuben F. Johnson / Asian Aerospace February 2006 The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) medium multirole combat aircraft (M-MRCA) tender is beginning to resemble a free-for-all that shows no signs of abating and will continue for several years. What makes this tender an unusual one, however, is that the type of radar and onboard systems which will be included in the deal, the co-production arrangements to provide work for local Indian industry and geopolitical considerations are going to carry far more weight in the decision process than the actual choice...

How far ahead of the pack is the F-22? Especially when compared to European fighters like the Rafael, Eurofighter, and Gripen? This is something that matters a lot to the Air Force, which thinks the F-22 is vital to maintaining air superiority – replacing the F-15C as soon as possible, even at the expense of reducing the buy of the F-35. How valid is the Air Force’s claim? First, one needs to look at how visible the aircraft in question are on radar. The F-15C is probably the most visible, entering service just as Lockheed began work on the F-117...

Future Fighter Aircraft Requirements in Emerging Economies Date Published: 29 Mar 2005 By Marko Lukovic In the next ten years there will be a continued growth in purchases of new fighter aircraft. Outside North America and Western Europe (Eurofighter and/or JSF buyers), this will especially be the case in Asia where up to US$ 7 billion may be spent on new fighter programs. In Eastern Europe and Latin America several countries will be making important strategic decisions about the future of their air defence capability in the near future and this could lead to contracts potentially worth hundreds of millions...

Associated Press Report: Saab, BAE Accused of Exaggerations 03.07.2005, 11:00 AM Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab and British-based BAE Systems exaggerated planned offset investments in order to sell their aircraft to South Africa, Swedish Radio said Monday. The public broadcaster said it analyzed the number of investments pledged by the companies, but found that most never came to fruition. South Africa bought 28 Swedish-built JAS Gripen - the first export order for the fighter - and 24 British Hawk trainer jets for its air force in 1999. The two manufacturers had promised offset investments up to 2001, mostly in civilian industry...

Norway may snub Lockheed, buy Gripen fighters OSLO, April 28 (Reuters) - Norway is looking at the Anglo-Swedish Gripen combat jet to replace its U.S.-built F-16s because of disappointment over a lack of sub-contracts in developing a new U.S. fighter, a senior parliamentarian said on Wednesday. Faced with a choice between continued loyalty to the United States as a NATO ally or switching to European partners, Norway has taken a stake in development of the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) but is also looking at the Eurofighter jet.