Free Republic

The Hungarian Air Force had its second Saab JAS 39 Gripen crash in less than a month. The latest accident three days ago was caused by the malfunctioning landing gear, which led the pilot to make an emergency landing. He stayed with the jet as long as possible, only ejecting as the stricken fighter tipped on its side, careening down the runway. During ejection, the pilot’s malfunctioning seat put him in hospital with a vertebral fracture. Squadron leader Sándor Kádár had hit the ground pretty hard since his seat didn’t detach after leaving the cockpit, weighing down his parachute by...

Sweden's new Social Democrat prime minister Stefan Loefven unveiled what he called a "feminist" government including Green Party ministers for the first time in the Nordic country. ... Sweden is in a serious situation -- unemployment has become entrenched at high levels, school results have collapsed and the welfare system has major shortcomings ...

Why Canada Should Buy The Saab JAS39 Gripen E “Next Generation” Fighter Editor’s note: Defence Watch reader Kyle Meema has researched alternatives to the F-35. In a two-part series running Monday and Tuesday he argues that Canada should purchase the Gripen fighter aircraft. By Kyle Meema Defence Watch Guest Writer Part One: Candidates: The Various Alternatives Contrary to the assertions of politicians and officials[1], there are several viable alternatives to the F-35A. The Rafale, Eurofighter, Next Generation Gripen, and F/A-18 E Super Hornet are all very capable fighter jets that could serve Canada very well. While the Rafale performs very...

RPT-Swiss opt for Saab's Gripen fighter jets - paper (Repeats to additional subscribers) ZURICH Nov 30 (Reuters) - Switzerland has chosen to replace its fighter jet fleet with Swedish defence and aerospace group Saab's JAS-39 Gripen, Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources close to the government. Neutral Switzerland has wrangled for the past three years over whether to replace its ageing Northrop F-5E/F Tiger fighters, purchased in 1976 and 1981, with up to 33 new aircraft. Saab shares were up 8.5 percent to 117.10 Swedish crowns by 1345 GMT after the newspaper report. The newspaper said the...

Czech fighter contract as Gripen deal runs down Fighter manufacturers are preparing to battle for the right to provide the planes that should protect Czech airspace after 2015 © ČESKÁ POZICE A fight between the Gripen JAS-39 and F-16 to patrol Czech airspace looks on the cards The clock is ticking down to the expiry of the 2015 contract under which JAS-39 Gripen supersonic jet fighters hired from the Swedish government to protect Czech skies. And while the date might still seem a long way off, speculation has been mounting about whether a deal for the Gripen planes will be...

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...

Gripen operational cost lowest of all western fighters: Jane’s The study conducted by IHS Jane's Aerospace and Defense Consulting, compared the operational costs of the Gripen, Lockheed Martin F-16, Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Dassault’s Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 aircraft. The operational cost of the Swedish Saab Gripen aircraft is the lowest among a flightline of modern fighters, confirmed a White Paper submitted by the respected international defense publishing group IHS Jane’s, in response to a study commissioned by Saab. The paper says that in terms of ‘fuel used, pre-flight preparation and repair, and scheduled airfield-level maintenance together with...

Saab waits on Brazil and India for Sea Gripen go ahead By Gareth Jennings 18 June 2010 Saab will only develop an aircraft carrier-capable version of its JAS 39 Gripen NG fighter should either India or Brazil select the land-based variant to fulfil their fighter replacement programmes, the company has said. Eddy de la Motte, Gripen campaign director for India, told reporters on 12 June that development of the aircraft has, to date, been driven by its core customer, the Swedish Air Force (SwAF). With no Swedish requirement for a navalised aircraft, it requires a customer with a carrier capability...

‘Super-JAS’ Costlier Than Expected: Report (Source: The Local.se; published July 27, 2012) The Swedish Armed Forces will have to cut back on billions of kronor by next year if they want to afford putting the new super jet JAS Gripen into production, according to a report by national broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR). The military in March supported an earlier proposition voted through in the Riksdag that Sweden should develop up to ten of the E/F model JAS. But according to SR, the army and the government in May received a cost prediction from the Saab Defence Group, a figure reportedly...

New Gripen Firms Up Posted by Bill Sweetman at 6/14/2010 1:05 AM CDT According to Saab executives, the decision to go ahead with the Gripen Next Generation has already been taken by the Swedish government. If Saab wins one or more of the upcoming fighter competitions - with Brazil and Switzerland among those closest to a decision date - it will affect the timing of Sweden's own deployment of the Gripen NG, already identified by the Swedish military as the JAS 39E/F. But the decision to acquire the fighter has already been taken, according to head of Gripen marketing and...

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...

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...