Saab has received an order from the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) to define what is needed to meet Sweden’s requirements for the continued, effective operation and availability of Gripen C/D until 2035. The order value is 185 MSEK. The work will be conducted during the period of December 2020 to December 2021.
“Gripen C/D is the backbone of the Swedish Air Force and will be for many years to come. The result of the work will be that the customer has the ability to take different directions depending on their future needs. Saab’s expertise in developing advanced fighter technology gives Sweden the means to decide how Gripen C/D remains a formidable frontline fighter in the 2030s,” says Jonas Hjelm, Senior Vice President and head of Saab business area Aeronautics.
Gripen is in service with a number of air forces including Sweden, the Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa and Thailand. The UK Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) is operating Gripen as its platform for test pilot training. Sweden and Brazil have also respectively ordered 60 and 36 new Gripen fighter aircraft.
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stability design and fly-by-wire flight controls. Gripen A- and C-series are powered by the GE F404G engine (previously designated Volvo RM12) and the E-series is powered by the GE F414G engine, and has a top speed of Mach 2. Later aircraft are modified for NATO interoperability standards and to undertake air to air refuelling.
