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A Swedish pilot named Per-Olof Eldh, using a Viggen fighter jet, lined up with the Blackbird’s flight path and even gained full missile lock. ___________________________________________________________ The SR-71 Blackbird is a legendary plane, which had a long life that began in the 1960s and ended in the 1990s. The plane, considered the fastest ever to fly, was famously never shot down, although it did once have a close call with a meteor while flying over North Korea in the early 1980s. A recent report looked at another close call the SR-71 had, with an unlikely source: the Swedish Air Force, from...

A Swedish aerospace firm that hopes to supply Canada’s new fleet of fighter jets says it could build the aircraft in this country, making maximum use of the expertise of domestic firms and creating high-tech jobs. Saab’s pitch to build its Gripen E fighter jet in Canada further ups the ante on the $19-billion competition that will see the federal government purchase 88 new aircraft. The Liberal government has been emphasizing the transfer of new technology and expertise to Canadian aerospace firms as well as the creation of high-tech jobs as among its key goals for the fighter jet program....

The commander of Sweden's air force, Mats Helgesson, recently made the bold statement that his country's Saab Gripen E fighter could beat Russia's formidable fleet of Sukhoi jets with none of the expensive stealth technology the US relies on. "Gripen, especially the E-model, is designed to kill Sukhois. There we have a black belt," Helgesson told Yle.fi at a presentation in Finland, where Sweden is trying to export the jets. Russia's Sukhoi fighters have achieved a kind of legendary status for their ability to out-maneuver US fighter jets in dogfights and pull off dangerous and aggressive stunts in the air,...

For much of the last week, the press in Israel and Croatia have given frenzied coverage to US objections to Israeli plans to sell the small Eastern European nation 12 used F-16 fighters. On Thursday, the Croatian government announced the deal was officially shelved as Israel had not received approval from Washington to sell the fighters, which were built in the US. The US decision to 'veto' the Israeli sale of the F-16s draws attention to the complicated nature of export controls in arms sales involving multiple nations. The Croatian F-16 saga also bears some similarities to the now-forgotten story...

Last year brought twin milestones for the Royal Thai Air Force’s fleet of Saab Gripen C/Ds, with the service having marked a decade since ordering the Swedish-built fighter, and completed its first 10,000 flying hours with the single-engined type. In late November, FlightGlobal was among a select group of media invited to make a first-of-its-kind visit to Thailand’s Surat Thani air base since the nation introduced its latest combat additions over seven years earlier. Located a flying distance of approximately 530km (980nm) south of Bangkok, the city of Surat Thani is usually a stopping point on the tourist trail heading...

The air force has been looking for more than a decade for aircraft to replace its US-made F5A/B jet interceptors that retired in 2005 The Philippine government is likely to buy Swedish-made Gripen multirole supersonic fighters for its air force, the Philippine News Agency reports. Apart from being cheaper to purchase and less expensive to maintain, Gripen has also proved to be an excellent fighter aircraft, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told the news agency in an exclusive interview this week. The Philippine Air Force has been looking for more than a decade for what aircraft it would buy to...

At Farnborough 2018, the Spice 250 is being displayed as an option for both the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen. Rafael’s Spice 250 electro-optical/infrared-guided glide bomb is on course to achieve initial operational capability with the Israel Air and Space Force next year, following a third test campaign earlier this year that saw the 100-km (62-mile) range weapon successfully engage moving, maritime, and time-critical targets. A few more qualification tests are due to be undertaken, with low-rate production just getting under way. At Farnborough 2018, the weapon is being displayed as an option for both the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab...

Britain could team up with Sweden to build a new fighter jet after being snubbed by France and Germany. British officials have held preliminary talks with the Swedes and the Ministry of Defence is next week expected to outline plans to start developing a warplane to replace the Typhoon. Sweden, which is in the EU, has shown interest in collaborating and would be a natural partner through its defence manufacturer Saab, according to the Financial Times. Sources stressed that the UK has spoken to several countries about the project. Japan and South Korea are also potential partners. France and Germany...

Is the Gripen E too good to be true? Hushkit met Richard Smith the Head of Marketing & Sales for the Saab Gripen to find out more. When I interviewed the widely respected aviation journalist Bill Sweetman in 2013, I pointed out the Typhoon, F-22 and F-35 programmes have all received a great deal of criticism, but could he give an example of a well-run military aircraft project? He replied: “Almost anything from the land of blondes, aquavit and IKEA.” In an article Sweetman wrote for Aviation Week he argued that there the case for describing the forthcoming Gripen E/F...

The South African Air Force has been offered enhanced capabilities for its Gripen fighter aircraft with a suit of new advanced systems developed by Israeli company Rafael. The Israeli company's offers a concept that it claims can bring fighter aircraft to a an advanced 4.5 generation standard by upgrading the different systems. The concept is being evaluated by the Indian Air Force for its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) fighter aircraft. The upgrade suit that according to Rafael can enhance the fighter aircraft's capabilities to a 4.5 generation standard includes the Rafael BNET which is an advanced IP Mobile Ad-hoc Network...

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German Defence Ministry said on Monday that the European fighter jet was the leading candidate to replace its Tornado jets, which it wants to start phasing out in 2025. The ministry’s position appears to contradict that of the German air force, whose chief indicated last month that he preferred Lockheed Martin’s F-35, which meets the military’s requirements of stealth and long-distance operational capabilities. In a letter to a Greens lawmaker who had inquired about the deliberations, the ministry said the F-35 and Boeing’s F-15 and F-18 fighters were secondary options. “The indicated view of the inspector...

Defence and security company Saab presents a new variant of Gripen, Gripen Aggressor. Gripen Aggressor is based on the proven Gripen C-series and is the ultimate platform for the adversary air combat training market. Gripen Aggressor brings a unique mix of high performance, mission flexibility and availability combined with a low life cycle cost. There is a growing segment within the adversary air combat training market for highly advanced aggressor capabilities to be able to perform realistic combat training. Gripen Aggressor provides an exceptional, dissimilar opponent aircraft system against which pilots will sharpen and refine their combat skills so as...

Rhino poachers operating in South Africa, especially along the country’s border with Zimbabwe, will soon face a new opponent, the Gripen fighter jet, according to a report from FlightGlobal. The revelation followed another announcement that the South African Air Force (SAAF) had finally gotten nearly all of its Swedish-made aircraft out of storage and back onto the flightline. On June 18, 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Josias Mashaba, head of the SAAF’s 2 Squadron gave details about the state of his country’s Gripen fleet during an annual meeting of the Swedish Air Force Fan Club – yes, fan club – in Paris,...

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...

PARIS and LINKOPING, Sweden --- The next-generation variant of Sweden’s Gripen fighter is due to make its maiden flight sometime during the next month, between the first anniversary of its official roll-out on May 18 and the June 19 opening of the Paris Air Show. Whenever it happens, this flight will mark the appearance of a fighter that Saab defines as fifth-generation, but that it says was developed for less than 2 billion euros – just about half the $4 billion cost of the Lockheed Martin F-35’s Block 4 software. Whether or not that figure remains valid – and it...

SOFIA, April 26 (Reuters) - Bulgaria has decided to start talks with Sweden to acquire eight new Gripen combat jets made by SAAB, interim deputy prime minister Stefan Yanev said on Wednesday, as the Balkan country seeks to replace its ageing Soviet-designed MiG-29s. The Balkan country has picked the Swedish offer in preference to an offer from Portugal of secondhand U.S. F-16s equipped with U.S. weaponry and an offer from Italy of secondhand Eurofighter Typhoon fighters. A deal is estimated to be worth about 1.5 billion levs ($836 million). A special commission for the negotiations is expected to be set...

Sweden will equip its future fleet of Gripen E fighters with an extended-range version of the Saab/Diehl Defence-produced RBS15 anti-ship missile, under a project worth SKr3.2 billion ($358 million). Announced on 31 March, the deal will deliver weapons with “greatly improved capabilities to engage any target, in all [weather] conditions”, says Saab chief executive Håkan Buskhe. Equipped with an upgraded seeker, the RBS15F ER will have a reduced launch weight and increased range compared with earlier versions of the maritime- and land-attack missile. The extended-range design will be among a variety of weapon types to be carried by the Gripen...

Last year the Swedish defense company SAAB made its final delivery of 96 Gripen planes ordered by the Swedish government. Now, despite having thousands of flying hours and many years left, the fighter jets are destined for the scrapheap. The Swedish government is buying even newer Gripen planes. Gripen C/D is an advanced fighter jet with attack and surveillance capabilities, which unlike its Gripen predecessors is also compatible with NATO standards and thus more easily exportable. SAAB has sold or leased the plane not only to the Swedish government but to South Africa, Hungary, Thailand, the Czech Republic and even...

The contest to supply the Indian Air Force (IAF) a single-engine, medium fighter is currently playing out as a two-horse race. US giant, Lockheed Martin, is the Goliath looking to slay the David that is Swedish firm, Saab. Lockheed Martin, which has offered to shift its F-16 production line to India, is the world's biggest defence firm, with $46.1 billion in sales last year and an order backlog of almost $100 billion. Saab, which has offered its latest fighter, the Gripen E, appears a relative minnow, with $3 billion in sales last year, and an order book of $12.9 billion....

(Published in Swedish only; unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) By Tomas Augustsson STOCKHOLM --- A controversy has broken out among defense commentators in Sweden as to whether it makes sense to break up a large part of the current Swedish Gripen fleet to recover parts that can be used in the production of the new Gripen-E fighter, as ordered by the defence ministry and parliament. Sweden plans to produce a total of 60 new Gripen-Es at a cost of SEK 36 billion ($4.2 billion) to replace the 96 Gripen C/D currently operated by the Swedish Air Force. However, many are protesting...