With those foreplanes, it’s probably similar to the Typhoon in capability, meaning it can probably whip the F-35. It can likely point its nose off-axis to fire AAMs in a dogfight. Probably cheaper too.
With High Off-Boresight missiles like the AIM-9X, if you have a helmet mounted cueing system you don't need to point the aircraft's nose at the target, just your own nose.
The only aircraft type in the US inventory that still has to point the aircraft at its target to acquire a lock is the "advanced" F-22. It is the only fighter type in the inventory without a helmet mounted cueing system.
Not to say that every single aircraft in the US inventory are equipped, but there are examples of the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, and F-35 that do have HMCS.
Gripen is more comparable to the US F-18 in speed, range & unit cost, but the F-18 carries 1/3 greater payload.
Also, it appears that our good Swedish friends are more willing to make hardball deals than our guys.
But all this is not recent events.
Czech Republic has used Gripens since the 1990s.
We are talking about 14 airplanes here.
Now Slovakia is joining them, to buy a few more.