Saab is accelerating the test programme for its Gripen E fighter as it targets new customers around the world – Jamie Hunter reports.
During its annual Gripen Seminar on March 26, Swedish manufacturer Saab revealed details of the progress it is making with its new JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighter. Saab now has six Gripens supporting the flight-test campaign (five Swedish aircraft including the JAS 39D Gripen ‘Demo’, the first production Swedish aircraft and one Brazilian aircraft) and it has passed 300 flight hours, according to Eddy de la Motte, the head of Business Unit Gripen E/F. He said the focus of testing is now shifting to tactical systems and sensors: “The sensors we have; the radar, IRST [infrared search and track] and EW [electronic warfare] system, are performing very [well] – better than expected.”
Having first been rolled out at Saab’s facility at Linköping, Sweden, on May 18, 2016, the new Gripen E is a very different beast to its predecessor the Gripen C. The beefed-up airframe accommodates more fuel, additional weapons hardpoints and an array of new external sensors. Speaking during the online seminar, Eddy de la Motte said the biggest difference comes in terms of the Gripen E’s new avionics and overall capability o…
