Saab’s Growing Gripen Family

Saab started the rollout with an air display of the earlier C/D model of the Gripen, now in service with African, Asian and several Central European countries. 

Saab is hoping to keep producing the Gripen C/D in production alongside the Gripen E/F models; it has already defined a road map of development that will spinoff the Gripen E program. Several nations are expressing interest in buying Gripen C/Ds, including Slovakia and Croatia. Company officials have downplayed African media reports that Botswana was about to sign for up eight Gripens.

The Swedish air force operates about 100 Gripens, in the single-seat configuration (pictured here) and the twin-seat configuration. But the Gripen E fleet will be entirely made up of single-seat aircraft, posing challenges for training. The air force is studying options to replace its existing fleet of Saab 105 (Sk60) trainers—which date back to the late 1960s—with a more modern type.

The latest upgrade to the Gripen is the MS20 package, which finally delivers the much-awaited capacity to fire MBDA’s Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (pictured here on the left) and the Boeing GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, with four attached to a special launcher. The first squadrons are being given the MS20 upgrade now, and all units will have their aircraft upgraded by the fall. Meteor is expected to achieve an interim operating capability in the next few months.

The rollout of the first Gripen E, coded 39-8 was a glitzy affair. Saab was not allowed to paint the aircraft in a dramatic color scheme, so it instead painted the jet with lights, highlighting the nations that will operate it in the coming years.

At first glance, the E version looks like just another Gripen, but the broader wing roots betray the type’s ability to carry more fuel. Two additional belly-mounted pylons expand its weapon load, while faceted wingtip pods enable an enhanced electronic warfare capability. Forward of the cockpit is a housing for an infra-red search-and-track radar, while buried in the canard roots appear to be missile-warning sensors. On 39-8, however, they both appear to be blanked off, suggesting that the systems may not be fitted as yet. 

Aircraft 39-8 will be the first of three development aircraft, with 39-9 and 39-10 to follow later. Brazil will also have two development aircraft, one single-seater and one twin-seater. Brazil is leading the development of the twin-stick aircraft and plans to purchase eight. But Brazil has ambitions to purchase more than 100 Gripen E/Fs over the coming years and has aspirations to sell them to other nations in Latin America.

The Gripen was rolled out carrying an array of weaponry, including eight GBU-39s, five Meteors and two IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles on the wingtip rails. Pictured clearly here are the additional pair of pylons under the aircraft, on either side of the centerline pylon.