The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a lightweight single engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. Gripen International acts as a prime contracting organisation and is responsible for marketing, selling and supporting the Gripen fighter around the world.
The aircraft is in service with the Swedish Air Force, the Czech Air Force, the Hungarian Air Force and the South African Air Force, and has been ordered by the Royal Thai Air Force. A total of 236 Gripens have been ordered as of 2008.
By the late 1970s a replacement for Sweden's aging Saab 35 Draken and Saab 37 Viggen was needed.[6] A new fighter was being considered by 1979,[7] with design studies beginning the following year.[6] The development of the Gripen began in 1982 with approval from Swedish Parliament.[8]
The Gripen was designed for performance, flexibility, effectiveness and survivability in air combat. The designation JAS stands for Jakt (Air-to-Air), Attack (Air-to-Surface), and Spaning (Reconnaissance), indicating that the Gripen is a multirole or swingrole fighter aircraft that can fulfill each mission type. The JAS 39 received the name Gripen through a public competition in 1982.[9] The griffin is the heraldry on Saab's logo and suited the multirole characteristics of the aircraft. Furthermore, the griffin is the symbolic animal on the coat of arms of Östergötland, the province in which Saab AB is headquartered (Linköping).
Empire Test Pilots' School JAS 39B Gripen taxis after landing at RIAT 2008.
Sweden chose to develop the Gripen rather than purchase a variant of the F-16, F/A-18A/B, or the "F-5S" version of the Northrop F-20 Tigershark. The first Gripen was rolled out on 26 April 1987, marking Saab's 50th anniversary.[10] The first prototype first flew on 9 December 1988.[11]
The final aircraft of the 64-jet Batch 3 contract was delivered to FMV on 26 November 2008. This was accomplished at a 10% less than the agreed-upon price for the whole batch, putting the JAS 39C flyaway cost at under US$30 million.[12] About 33% of the aircraft's content is sourced from the United States, with the other 67% split between Swedish and European suppliers.
Just for a little inspiration
