RAF FAIRFORD, England—When Saab test pilot Andre Brannstrom launches the Gripen E into the skies above the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) here, it will be the type’s debut display outside Scandinavia.
It has been 25 years since the first Gripen display at RIAT, but this year the Swedish manufacturer is finally presenting the next-generation version, and the OEM has chosen the Air Tattoo to show it off, rather than a traditional trade event.
With the latest version being larger, stockier and more powerful than the earlier Gripen C/D, Brannstrom—call sign Bulan—says the air show crowds will notice a difference in the platform’s performance.
“From a pilot’s perspective in terms of stick handling and controlling the aircraft, the C/D and the E are sharing some DNA,” Brannstrom said on July 7 ahead of the air show. “The maneuverability is similar [to Gripen C/D] but slightly better and there’s a region when you really, really feel the extra thrust in the Gripen E and that’s when you ease up a little with the stick and gain energy, something you don’t do in the C/D.”
He has been at the controls of every Gripen E display, having debuted the aircraft at the Helsinki Kaivopuisto Airshow in Finland in 2021. He has also put the aircraft through its paces for delegations and VIPs at the company’s facility in Linkoping.
Brannstrom’s specially designed demonstration builds on his flight experience with the Saab Draken, Viggen and Gripen, and a thrill of speed and high Gs.
“I could have just shown off the aircraft at around 200-300 kt. [230.1-345.2 mph], but I wanted to push in a lot of speed in my program, and the radius of my turns will show the audience that it’s quite a maneuverable aircraft,” Brannstrom said.
Keeping the display tight around the Fairford skies will mean he will experience G loads of around 9g and -3g. He has also slightly adapted the display because of Fairford’s long display line.
The demonstration is also designed to show off the aircraft’s short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) capabilities, which are crucial to Sweden’s doctrine of dispersed operations.
But the flying display will not tell the whole story. Many of the changes in the Gripen E are under the skin, with advanced new electronic warfare and sensor suites transforming the type’s capability compared to the C/D.
Brannstrom has built up around 400 flight hours in the Gripen E, flying as part of a joint team of test pilots. They include personnel from Saab, Sweden’s defense materiel agency FMV, and the Swedish and Brazilian air forces.
His role has been around building an understanding of the aircraft’s tactical capabilities and supporting the development of its human-machine interface, such as the cockpit’s wide-area display.
While he looks back favorably at piloting the 1960s-era Draken because it was his first fighter, Brannstrom says flying the Gripen E is “like a dream,” with the aircraft allowing pilots to focus on their mission.
“The Gripen E is about creating situational awareness for pilots and what you are able to do over long distances is incredible,” explains Brannstrom. “Making smart decisions in a fighter can be really hard, but we are doing that in the Gripen, and that brings so much more capability. We are impressing ourselves with what we are doing.”
The E will not be the only Gripen participating in the show. Gripen C/D displays will be flown by the Czech and Swedish air forces, while a Hungarian air force example will be in the static display.
Saab is bringing two Gripen Es along with a single GlobalEye swing-role surveillance platform based on the Bombardier Global 6000 business jet.
The GlobalEye at the show is due to be delivered to launch customer United Arab Emirates Air Force later this year.
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