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| Gripen E/F | |
|---|---|
| Name | Gripen E/F |
| Caption | Saab Gripen E in flight |
| Manufacturer | Saab |
| First flight | 2017 |
| Primary user | Swedish Air Force |
Gripen E/F is a single-engine, multirole combat aircraft developed by Saab as the latest generation of its lightweight fighter family. It was conceived to provide advanced air superiority, ground-attack, and reconnaissance capabilities while maintaining low lifecycle costs and interoperability with NATO and allied platforms. The program has involved partnerships and procurement interactions with nations including Brazil, Switzerland, Hungary, and Finland.
Development began as an evolution of earlier Saab designs, building on technologies tested in collaborations with companies such as Volvo Aero, GE Aviation, and BAE Systems. Key milestones included prototype flight testing, avionics integration trials with Thales and Leonardo subsystems, and industrial cooperation agreements with Embraer, Kongsberg, and RUAG. Program timelines intersected with procurement decisions by the Swedish Armed Forces, the Brazilian Air Force competition, and export negotiations with the United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia. Political and parliamentary reviews in countries like Switzerland and Hungary shaped acquisition schedules and industrial offset arrangements.
Airframe design incorporates advanced composite materials, a widened fuselage, and increased internal fuel capacity compared with earlier models, while retaining a delta-canard layout influenced by Saab's aerodynamic research centers and testing at wind tunnels such as those at National Aerospace Laboratory. The single-engine configuration is powered by a high-thrust turbofan sourced via agreements with General Electric and Volvo Penta-derived manufacturing lines. Features include a glass cockpit developed with Rockwell Collins and Parker Aerospace, a retractable tricycle landing gear compatible with dispersed operations, and signature-reduction measures informed by studies at FOI and RTAF test ranges. The aircraft supports aerial refueling revisions compatible with probe-and-drogue systems used by carriers and tanker fleets like KC-130 and A330 MRTT.
Avionics suite integrates an active electronically scanned array radar supplied by Selex ES and electronic warfare systems provided by Saab Electronic Defence and in some integrations by BAE Systems Avionics. Sensor fusion combines inputs from an infrared search and track turret developed with Leonardo, a digital helmet-mounted display system interoperable with systems fielded by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, and datalinks compatible with Link 16 and tactical networks used by NATO, the European External Action Service, and the Combined Air Operations Center. Flight control law architecture draws on fly-by-wire research from DERA and simulation work at the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration. Mission systems permit integration of targeting pods from Rafael and Thales, and reconnaissance suites used by agencies like FOI and FFG.
Weapons integration includes beyond-visual-range missiles from MBDA and Raytheon, short-range air-to-air missiles such as those produced by Diehl and MBDA, precision-guided munitions from Saab Dynamics and Boeing, and anti-ship missiles from Kongsberg and Rafael. The internal structure supports a nose-mounted 27 mm Mauser cannon in service configurations similar to armaments used by Eurofighter and Dassault Rafale squadrons. External stores management follows standards compatible with pylons supplied by UTC Aerospace Systems and Acro Aircraft, enabling carriage of targeting pods from L3Harris and synthetic aperture radar pods developed by Thales and Leonardo.
Operational deployment traces include squadron introduction in Swedish Air Force units, training exchanges with the United States Air Force at Nellis Air Force Base, and joint exercises with the Royal Air Force, Bundeswehr, and Finnish Air Force under Baltic air policing rotations. The type has been evaluated in multinational exercises such as Exercise Red Flag, NATO Response Force drills, and bilateral campaigns with the Brazilian Air Force and the Hungarian Defence Forces. Logistics and sustainment have involved industrial partners like Embraer and Saab Flight Training, with mission readiness reporting coordinated through procurement offices and defense ministries in Stockholm, Brasília, Bern, and Budapest.
Two-seat and single-seat production blocks exist alongside prototype demonstrators used in systems integration trials with partners including GE Aviation, Honeywell, and Curtiss-Wright. Block upgrades follow patterns familiar from platforms like the F-16 and F/A-18, with incremental software and hardware refreshes delivered through contracts with Leonardo, Thales, and Saab Dynamics. Potential maritime adaptation concepts have been studied in cooperation with naval architects and shipyards involved in carrier and STOVL research programs.
Operators include the Swedish Air Force, which spearheaded development and operational concept formulation, and export customers such as the Brazilian Air Force, the Hungarian Defence Forces, and the Finnish Air Force following competitive evaluations and parliamentary ratifications. Other nations evaluated the type in competitions alongside offerings from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, and Eurofighter GmbH, with industrial participation agreements involving Embraer, Kongsberg, RUAG, and Leonardo shaping offset packages.
Category:Combat aircraft Category:Saab aircraft