AircrAft Profile Saab JaS 39 Gripen

Aircraft Profile Saab JAS 39 Gripen
Griffin
Takes wing
Björn Hellenius looks
into the design and
operational history of
Saab’s Gripen (Griffin)
and asks if it’s still
relevant after a quarter
of a century
What’s in a name?
SAAB (in capital letters only) is
short for Svenska Aeroplan
AktieBolaget. The company
designed and manufactured both
cars and aeroplanes, but in 1990
it was divided into the car
manufacturer Saab Automobile
AB (now out of business) and the
aerospace and defence company
Saab AB, now Saab Group. So for
the purists, the spelling SAAB is
correct for earlier aircraft types,
but Saab is right for the newer
models, including the Gripen
because it has been produced
under the aegis of the Saab
Group. Now you know!
50 #312 March 2014
S
WEDISH DEFENCE giant SAAB
(Svenska Aeroplan AktieBolaget
– Swedish Aeroplane Corporation) can trace its roots back to
a 1936 decision by the Swedish
Government that the neutral
country should establish its own
comprehensive arms industry,
including a capability to design and
produce its own military aircraft.
SAAB was formed the following
year and launched its first aircraft,
the single-engine B17 light attack
bomber, based on contemporary
American designs. It made
its first flight in May 1940.
The first swept-wing jet fighter to
emerge from its Linköping plant,
the J29 Tunnan (Barrel – so named
because of its shape), owed much
to other early jet designs, including
the North American F-86 Sabre,
MiG-15 Fagot and, most notably, the
Nazi-era Messerschmitt P1101.
The Tunnan, which first flew in
September 1948, was succeeded
in service in 1971 by the doubledelta Draken and the canard/
delta-winged Viggen, which in
turn were replaced by the world’s
first operational ‘4/4.5’-generation
fighter, the JAS 39 Gripen. Now,
25 years after the type’s first flight
on December 9, 1988, development of the next-generation
Gripen E/F has started, the new
jet forming the basis of Swedish
air defence well into the 2040s.
Above: This JAS 39B, owned by Saab,
has been used for several years by
Britain’s Empire Test Pilots’ School at MoD
Boscombe Down in Wiltshire. Saab
Below: Conscript aircraft mechanics
loading a BK M90/DWS 39 Mjölner standoff submunitions dispenser. Emil Lindberg
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Basic design
When the time came to plan for
a replacement for the Viggen, the
preference was for a multirole
aircraft. That was the conclusion
reached after a long evaluation
process during the 1970s to
determine if a development of
the Viggen, a completely new
design or a foreign aircraft was
the best option for Sweden –
which had offers from General
Dynamics (F-16), McDonnell
Douglas (F-18), Northrop (F-5)
and Dassault (Mirage 2000).
Sweden opted once again
to develop a completely new
domestic design; a single aircraft
that could perform every mission
then flown by the several different
versions of the Draken and Viggen
still in service, fully adapted to
the customer’s requirements.
In 1982 the Swedish Parliament
voted to start the new project and
a contract was signed with Saab to
develop the JAS 39 and deliver five
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prototypes plus
a first batch of 30
aircraft. JAS is a Swedish
abbreviation where ‘J’ stands for
‘Jakt’ (fighter), ‘A’ for ‘Attack’ and
‘S’ for ‘Spaning’ (reconnaissance).
The design goal for the new
aircraft was to achieve a small,
affordable jet with the best
possible power and manoeuvrability performance within the budget
assigned. It should have good
multirole capability, integrate with
the Swedish Air Force’s (SwAF Svenska Flygvapnet) infrastructure
and communications systems and
meet, or be upgradable to meet,
those requirements for many years
to come. Here, modern computers
and avionics played a key role.
Saab chose to build on experience
gained on the Viggen, using its
main delta wing and front canard
configuration while adding
aerodynamic instability (or relaxed
stability) and a fly-by-wire (FBW)
flight
control
system (FCS) to
the mix. The result was
a very agile and responsive
aircraft at subsonic speeds
with low induced drag and
good supersonic characteristics and short take-off and
landing (STOL) performance. The
general benefits of this design are
well known, but in the 1980s these
complex technologies were new
and unproven so the project had its
share of mishaps in its early years.
The specification for the firstgeneration Gripen included many
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Aircraft Profile SaaB JAS 39 Gripen
expertise. A SwAF technician told
the author that when the Gripen
has taken part in multinational
exercises and a comparison is
made of the serviceability rates of
the competing nations’ aircraft, the
Swedish jet always does well. “At
the end of the exercise the results
are presented and analysed. We’re
often in the lead, and always top
three. The aircraft is relatively
easy to maintain and prepare for
a mission. It has had its initial
problems, but most of them have
been solved today and everyday
issues are easily taken care of.”
‘The aircraft therefore had to be sturdy,
have good STOL capability and long
intervals between services’
Engine – power
and reliability
Safety, reliability and costeffectiveness were keywords for
Gripen’s powerplant. The General
Electric F404-400, the type installed
in a twin-engine configuration in
the Boeing F/A-18, was selected,
but the basic version didn’t quite
meet Swedish requirements for
the single-engine JAS 39. The
variant installed in the Gripen,
called the RM 12, incorporates a
number of modifications made by
Volvo Flygmotor (Volvo Aero, now
part of GKN) to increase performance. First the original analogue
engine control unit was replaced
by digital engine control (DEC) in
the early JAS 39A and ’B versions;
and full authority digital engine
control (FADEC) in the later ’As
Two JAS 39Cs outside a hardened aircraft
shelter. A technician relaxes on the wing.
Emil Lindberg
trademark features of its Draken
and Viggen predecessors. While
it was being developed, the ‘Cold
War’ was still ‘hot’ with Soviet
submarines penetrating deep into
the Swedish archipelago and US
Air Force SR-71s sweeping across
the Baltic Sea. With no change in
sight for the political situation, the
military command anticipated
the air force facing the same
challenges in the future as it had
for the preceding few decades.
One of the standard operating
procedures the SwAF would have
adopted in time of war was the
road base system (BAS 90). Its
aircraft would be dispersed away
from their usual operating bases
and deployed to temporary strips,
with parts of the national road
network used as runways. The
majority of road strips’ runways
were 2,000m long by 12m wide
(2,200 by 13 yards) while the
shorter tracks’ runways measured
800m by 17m (875 by 18 yards). The
aircraft therefore had to be sturdy,
have good STOL capability and
long intervals between services.
Another consideration was that
the Gripen should be maintained
largely in the field by conscripts
with fairly basic technical
52 #312 March 2014
Above: A pilot boarding his aircraft prior to a bombing mission during Red Flag 08-3. Emil
Lindberg
Below: Loading a Litening II laser designator pod on a JAS 39D. Emil Lindberg
and ’Bs, from serial numbers 39193
and 39808, and all ’Cs and ’Ds.
As an extra safety measure, Volvo
added a mechanical back-up
system to the double digital
control, for triple redundancy.
This means that if the double
FADEC fails after, for example,
electrical power loss, the pilot
can rely on a mechanical control
system. While not as exact and
smooth as FADEC, the back-up may
save the aircraft and pilot in a critical situation. The ignition system
is also doubled for redundancy
and a sturdier fuel pump replaces
the original. With only one, it is
very important to make the engine
capable of withstanding damage
A troubled birth
Incidents and crashes are not
uncommon in the early stages of a
new aircraft’s test regime, but
especially unfortunate for the
Gripen was that it crashed in front
of the TV cameras – twice. And
each time, the same Saab test
pilot was at the controls.
The first incident involved
prototype 39-1 during landing at
the company’s airfield in
Linköping on February 2, 1989.
Pilot Lars Rådeström escaped with
a fractured elbow and other minor
Above: An AGM-65/RB 75 Maverick, TV-guided ground attack captive air training missile
mounted on an F 17 JAS 39A. Maverick is no longer used by the SwAF. Emil Lindberg
Right: A member of the ground crew re-attaching a cover to the wing tip pylon. Emil Lindberg
Above: A technician replaces a Gripen’s APU
in Keflavik, Iceland, during the trip back home
from Exercise Red Flag 08-3. Emil Lindberg
Right: Technicians carry out repairs to
a JAS 39D during an exercise in Reims,
France. Emil Lindberg
injuries although the jet, which
was on its sixth flight, was
seriously damaged. The second
incident was with production
aircraft 39102, which crashed on
August 8, 1993, during a public
display in the centre of Stockholm
very shortly after delivery to the
SwAF. On this occasion Rådeström
ejected safely and, almost
miraculously, only one person was
injured on the ground.
Accident investigation reports
showed both incidents were related
to the ‘unstable’ design and the
computerised FBW system, which
in certain circumstances, in
combination with control inputs
from the pilot, resulted in heavy
oscillating movements and
ultimately an uncontrollable
aircraft. Video of the first incident
shows the jet pitching up and down
in a phenomenon known as pilotinduced oscillation – PIO. This,
together with gusty wind
conditions, were blamed for the
crash.
PIO was cited as a contributing
factor in the second incident too.
The crashes brought criticism of the
Gripen and particularly its FCS,
which had yet to be completely
developed and tested. They were
not the best advertisements for the
project, but Saab eventually came
to terms with the problems and, in
retrospect, it is fair to say that
Gripen is a highly reliable and safe
aircraft. So far there have been very
few incidents and no casualties in
its operational history.
The very first Gripen, serial number 39-1, on its maiden flight on December 9, 1988 with Stig Holmström at the controls. The aircraft was lost in an accident on February 2, 1989. Peter Liander
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Aircraft Profile Saab JAS 39 Gripen
Sitting in
the cockpit
Above: A JAS 39C fuselage being moved into place on the assembly line at the Saab factory in Linköping. All images by author unless stated.
caused by foreign objects, and the
entire fan module was redesigned
to make it more robust and resistant to bird strikes and other such
risks. Another important safety
issue with jet engines is the risk of
compressor stall – when disrupted
airflow effectively reverses inside
the engine. This can cause the
flame to go out and the engine to
stop, potentially damaging it as
well as causing control problems.
So, to improve airflow control,
Volvo engineers introduced
adjustable guide vanes in both the
fan and compressor modules; the
F404 only had guide vanes in the
inlet area. As a
result, airflow
on the RM 12
can be optimised at all speeds.
It was also necessary to increase
power output – achieved by making
the fan bigger to produce higher
airflow, changing the materials in
the turbine to withstand higher
temperatures and completely
redesigning the afterburner.
The changes gave the Gripen
supersonic performance at sea
level along with improved serviceability. Engine maintenance is now
easier and service intervals are
longer, which has also improved
overall cost-effectiveness. An
example of the Gripen’s sturdiness
involved 39197 in the Luleå area in
2007 when the jet collided with a
swan in flight: the impact made a
hole where the big bird penetrated
the fuselage and many of the electrically dependent systems were
knocked out. Despite the malfunctioning flight control system,
non-functioning cockpit and
head-up displays, radio loss and
other damage, the pilot was able
to get back to base and land his
aircraft. To date no RM 12 engine
has failed as a result of a bird strike.
Radar – all seeing
One of the most important parts
of the Gripen’s sensor system, its
light and compact multifunctional
pulse-Doppler PS-05/A radar,
was developed by Ericsson Radar
Electronics AB. It features multiple
air-to-air modes, such as multiple
target track-while-search and
The first things you notice when
you climb into the cockpit of
Gripen C and ’D are the new large
6 by 8 inch (15 by 20cm) colour
L-3 Display Systems displays.
Information is shown in English
using imperial units, which is great
news for non-Swedish-speaking
pilots. But, according to test pilots,
nothing beats the two sandwich
boxes introduced a couple of years
ago and fitted in front of the pilot’s
knees under the instrument panel!
This important innovation was a
consequence of the jet’s ability to
fly longer missions thanks to the
installation of the air-to-air
refuelling system. The cockpit was
also updated with better airconditioning and an on-board
oxygen generating system
(OBOGS) was installed.
beyond visual range (BVR)
missile datalink. Air-to-ground
(surface) modes include air-toground ranging; high-resolution
synthetic aperture radar-mapping;
ground moving target indication
and tracking; and sea surface
search and tracking. Saab also
claims electronic countermeasures
(ECM) immunity in both air-to-air
and air-to-surface modes.
The radar follows the same
basic design philosophy as
the rest of the aircraft – easy
to service and maintain. It’s a
modular design, featuring simple,
standard mechanical and electrical
interfaces which make it easy to,
for example, change one of the
sub-units in a matter of minutes.
‘To date no RM 12
engine has failed
as a result of a
bird strike’
Datalinks
The Tactical Information Data
Link System (TIDLS) is a secure
and highly jam-resistant digital
network developed by FFV, now
Celsius AB. TIDLS makes it possible
for up to four Gripens to distribute
and use radar and other sensor
information among themselves.
All aircraft in a formation or within
300 miles (480km) get information
about the others’ speed, position,
heading, fuel state and weapons –
which significantly improves situational awareness and offers radar
data sharing: everyone connected
to the link can see what the others
are tracking and targeting.
An attacking pilot can use the
tracking data from one of his
wingmen flying at a distance to
guide a missile to the target. The
attacker can therefore be in silent
mode – not making any detectable
emissions – and close in on its prey
to fire a weapon without revealing
its presence. The tracking aircraft
will then continue sending data
to the advanced medium-range
air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) after
it has been launched and guide
it to the target, which means the
missile itself can be in ‘silent
mode’ for longer. The pilot of
the targeted aircraft may be
unaware of the danger until it’s
too late to respond. If he detects
the guiding aircraft at all, he may
disregard it because it is obviously
too far away to be a threat.
TIDLS can also be used to connect
PS-05/A radars from two fighters
and combine the data for more
accurate target positioning than
can be achieved using only one.
Simultaneous tracking of the same
target from different directions can
give heading and speed information with minimal radar transmission. Data can be shared with
ground stations and electronic
warfare (EW) aircraft, such as
the Erieye-equipped Saab 340 or
2000. TIDLS is fully operational as
Above: A JAS 39C returns to the flight line at F 17 wing in Ronneby after a routine training flight. Emil Lindberg
Below: Taking off from its Surat Thani AB home is single-seat Gripen Kh20-5/54 coded 70105; it carries 701 Sqn’s shark motif on the tail.
Daniel Nilsson
soon as the jet is up and running
so the pilot has good situational
awareness even before he takes off.
Both Viggen and Draken used
datalinks long before network
centric warfare became fashionable, so the Swedes were ahead of
the game in many respects. Gripen
‘C and ‘D have been integrated
with Link 16 datalink which,
The Gripen NG demonstrator comes in to land at
Emmen, Switzerland in January 2013 carrying six
air-to-air missiles on its wings. Pieter Liander/Saab
54 #312 March 2014
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being a broadcast style system,
is fundamentally different from
TIDLS. Both have their advantages
but although it can be accessed by
fewer users, TIDLS can exchange
more data more quickly.
The cockpit ‘office’
Situational awareness in aerial
warfare is essential – to be
able to see without being seen,
make the first move and strike
first confer huge advantages.
To succeed, a pilot has to
handle a constantly increasing
flow of information, make
decisions regarding weapons,
countermeasures, targets and
so on; and do it all quickly.
The difficulties are compounded
in a multirole fighter where there
are many more mission-sets than
for a pure fighter or bomber. To
ease the workload Saab put a lot of
work into simplifying the cockpit
layout. The result is an intuitive
and ergonomic environment that
gives the pilot an information
overview and technical assistance
for easier multi-tasking.
In JAS 39As and ’Bs, the pilot
had visual information via four
presentation areas – three headdown 5 by 6 inch (12.7 by 15.24cm)
monochrome multifunctional
displays (MFDs) and one wideangle head-up display (HUD). The
three MFDs gave the pilot flight
and system (continued on p59)
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Aircraft Profile Saab JAS 39 Gripen
Gripen operators
Sweden
The SwAF became the first operator
of the ’C version in 2004, but it was
not until 2007 that the Swedish
Government settled the ‘final’
number of jet fighters at 100 ’Cs
and ’Ds. When the so-called F 100
programme, for 100 fighters, was
started, the air force had 156 JAS
39s, of which only 69 were the
latest version with 31 JAS 39As
remaining. When the latter
reached 1,000 flight hours, they
were stripped down, many parts
being used to build ‘new’ JAS 39Cs
and ’Ds. No two-seat JAS 39Bs
were used in the programme, but
26 JAS 39As are being cannibalised
to provide parts for 13 new twoseat JAS 39Ds.
The conversion from ’A to ’C is
not straightforward. What can be
reused are the engine, some
electronic units, gearboxes,
hydraulic pumps, ejection seat,
control stick, some hatches, air
intakes and the radome. But a
’C model differs from an ’A in
that it has a more robust main
landing gear, an air-to-air
So the SwAF will have 98 Gripens –
74 ’Cs and 24 ’Ds, distributed
between the F 17 and F 21 fighter
wings, the Gripen Centre at F 7 and
the FMV test centre.
The SwAF Gripen fleet flies
around 11,000 flight hours a year.
Two aircraft plus one spare stand
quick reaction alert around the
clock. All operational pilots in the
air force perform this duty,
including instructors at training
units as well as some pilots with
staff functions.
South Africa
Above: Hungarian and Swedish technicians load the gun with practice rounds. The first
Hungarian technicians underwent on-the-job training in Sweden. Emil Lindberg
refuelling system, higher cabin
pressure and other changes in the
cockpit as described above.
These, combined with a different
APU, a higher maximum load
plus more refinements and
modifications, are why the
complete fuselage is
scrapped and replaced
with a new-build. To manufacture
a two-seat ’D-model in this way
requires the seats and sticks from
two 39As.
The first F 100 aircraft were
delivered in 2009 and deliveries
will continue until 2014. However,
one ’C and one ’D have been lost in
accidents and will not be replaced.
South Africa ordered 28 Gripens in
1999 as part of a bigger arms deal
which included BAE Systems Hawks,
helicopters and ships. The
country’s government later reduced
the order to 26 fighters, of which
nine were two-seat ’Ds. Deliveries
began on April 30, 2008, when the
first ’D landed at Air Force Base
(AFB) Makhado to replace the
ageing Atlas Cheetahs of the 2nd
Squadron, the only frontline fighter
squadron in the SAAF.
All 26 Gripens were delivered by
Below: JAS 39C 39402 was delivered
to Thailand as serial Kh20-6/54 with
the code 70106 and serves with 701
Sqn at Surat Thani AB. Daniel Nilsson
56 #312 March 2014
Above: Hungarian AF Gripens joined Swedish, South African and Czech aircraft for the Gripen exercise Lion Effort, hosted by the Swedish Air Force in March 2012.
September 2012 when the last four
arrived by boat in Table Bay, Cape
Town, having remained in Sweden
to take part in the multinational
Exercise Lion Effort, an exclusively
Gripen exercise held every three
years when their operators train,
exchange experiences and develop
combat tactics with the JAS 39.
Despite recent maintenance issues
the SAAF has all its new fighters
operational and is keen to apply the
updates necessary to achieve air
superiority in the region. It is
looking into options for
re-establishing the BVR capability
lost with the R-Darter missiles used
with the now-retired Cheetahs – the
SAAF did not buy any BVR missile
system to go with its new Gripens,
only the short-range IRIS-T. It also
has the General Dynamics A-Darter
and is thus well equipped for shortrange air-to-air combat. However,
the South Africans learned from Lion
Effort that you don’t stand a chance
in a BVR environment without
having the capability yourself.
Other countries in Africa have
BVR capability: for example
Morocco and Egypt with their
AMRAAM-equipped F-16s and
Uganda with the AA-12 Adderarmed Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker. This,
and the lack of air-to-air refuelling
tankers, were cited by an SAAF
representative as shortcomings
that need a solution for the air
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force to be relevant on the African
continent.
The SAAF Gripens’ ground-attack
capacity is also limited compared
to other users – the pilot has to
rely on the 27mm BK27 Mauser
cannon (only on the JAS 39C) and
Mk82 free-fall bombs, which can
be loaded on twin store carriers for
a total of four bombs per jet. For
reconnaissance purposes the SAAF
uses the Thales Digital Joint
Reconnaissance Pod, which is also
used with its Hawks, and the
Rafael Litening III LDP.
Meanwhile SAAF Gripens were the
first in the world to implement the
BAE HMD system, in 2011. The air
force had used simpler HMD
systems since the 1970s when they
were first successfully used in its
Mirage F1s, proving effective in
battle, and later in the Cheetah.
The SAAF has a long tradition in
EW and has, in co-operation with
Israel, developed its own systems
integrated with its Gripens. It also
uses a unique, domestically
developed datalink. South African
technicians were deeply involved
in the development and
integration of the Gripen’s radar
weather mode, a SAAF requirement
and a very important feature in the
African environment.
The South African Gripen order
has been surrounded by
speculation and rumours, and also
some proof, of corruption and
bribery – which has received a lot
of attention in the media and
continues 14 years after the deal
was signed. The nation’s financial
problems have affected the SAAF:
in March 2013 the South African
defence minister said 12 Gripens
had been placed in long-term
storage to save money. There is
also a lack of qualified pilots and
money to fly the remaining aircraft
more than a few hours per year.
The sale is unique in that it was
signed directly with Saab while all
other customers’ contracts are with
FMV. As a consequence the SAAF
does not benefit from the Gripen
support scheme developed by the
FMV, which provides upgrade and
other customer information. This
meant that between April and
December 2013 the SAAF didn’t
appear to have a support contract
for its Gripens after its most recent
short-term agreement had lapsed.
But in December Saab announced
it had signed a SEK 180 million
(£17 million) support contract
with Armscor, the body that
supervises South African arms
deals, for the years 2013 to 2016.
Despite the huge problems, the
2nd Squadron has taken part in at
least three high-profile missions.
First, it provided air cover for the
2010 FIFA World Cup, which helped
accelerate the deployment of
Gripen and the datalink system
developed for the SAAF. Second, it
was involved in operations in the
Central Africa Republic (CAR) in
early 2013 when SAAF Gripens were
based in the Democratic Republic of
Congo to support South African
ground troops. More recently six
Gripens flew over Nelson Mandela’s
funeral ceremony.
Hungary
The Gripen’s first European export
contract was signed by Hungary in
December 2001. The original
intention was to lease 14 JAS 39As
and ’Bs for ten years between 2005
and 2015, but the contract was
rewritten in 2003. The new one
called for ’Cs and ’Ds instead of the
earlier models and the initial tenyear lease was to be followed by
the purchase of the 14 jets in
2016. Hungary’s aircraft were
originally 39As from delivery Batch
One that went through the
conversion process, ending up as
12 ’Cs and two ’Ds.
The first five Gripens landed at
Kecskemét AFB in March 2006,
followed by the last nine in
December 2007. The Hungarians
operate E19-standard Gripens, but
unlike the SwAF they continue to
use the AGM-65 Maverick. The
Hungarian Air Force is also affected
by defence budget restrictions, but
has announced it is ready to
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Aircraft Profile Saab JAS 39 Gripen
participate in NATO Baltic Air
Policing duties from 2015. Despite
a shortage of money, the fleet is
well used: on December 17, 2013, it
passed 10,000 flight hours.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic also opted for
a leasing contract and signed a
deal with FMV in June 2004 for 14
aircraft over a period of ten years
from 2005. These were new-build
jets, 12 ’Cs and two ’Ds, from
delivery Batch 3.
With the end of the lease
approaching, Czech air defence has
been the subject of much debate
in the Republic recently. Various
options were discussed including
purchasing new or second-hand
F-16s or even giving up supersonic
fighters altogether. Eventually,
after a year of negotiations, a new
14-year contract continuing the
lease of the 14 Gripens was signed
on September 11, 2013.
The Czech Republic is a NATO
member and will have its aircraft
upgraded to E19 standard with Link
16 during the new lease period.
The Czechs have been very
successful with their Gripens and
are the only JAS 39 operator that
has full membership of the NATO
Tiger Association. In 2010, 211
Tactical Squadron, based at the Air
Component of the Czech Republic’s
Joint Forces’ (Letecká Složka
Společ ných Síly Armády Č eské
Republiky) 21st Tactical Air Force
Base at Č áslav, was declared ‘Best
Squadron’ at the NATO Tiger Meet
and received the Silver Tiger Award.
Even more impressive is the
number and variety of operations
the Czech air force has been
involved in. With a fleet of only
14 Gripens it has been policing the
skies of the Baltic states as part of
its NATO mission at the same time
as fulfilling QRA duty at home.
Training missions are allocated a
lower priority because of these
frontline tasks but it says a lot
about the efficiency of 211 Tactical
Squadron and the aircraft it flies.
So far the air force has focused on
the air-to-air role, for which its
JAS 39s are equipped with AIM-9M
Sidewinders and AIM-120C
AMRAAMs. This may change with
the renewed lease contract, but a
squadron spokesman said adding a
multirole mission will be difficult
with the small number of jets and
pilots available.
Thailand
Gripens have also been exported to
the Far East. The Royal Thai Air
Force (RTAF, Kongtap Agard Thai)
has eight JAS 39Cs (s/nos 3940139408) and four 39Ds (s/nos
39860-39863) obtained in a twopart deal – under which the first
order was signed in 2008 for six
Gripens and two Saab 340s (one
AEW with ERIEYE and one for
transport and training). The
contract also included logistic
support, simulators and training
for RTAF pilots. Thailand signed
another contract for six more
Gripen ’Cs and one more Saab 340
AEW in November 2010.
The first aircraft were handed
over on February 22, 2011, and
deliveries continued until
September 11, 2013, when SwAF
pilot Fredrik Süsskind and two of
his fellow ferry flight pilots landed
with the last three Gripens at the
RTAF’s Wing 7 base in Surat Thani.
On the same day the RTAF’s Air
Chief Marshal Prajin Jantong said
the air force was considering
buying six more Gripen fighters in
the next ten years, but as yet no
official request has been forwarded
to the Swedish FMV.
The RTAF deal includes a command
and control system, for which the
bases at Surat Thani and Don
Muang are equipped with the GADLS
(ground to air datalink system) to
connect with airborne fighters. The
radar systems are being upgraded
with Link E (ERIEYE) for connection
with the Saab 340 AEW aircraft.
The Royal Thai Air Defense System
(RTADS) incorporates ground radar
stations, navy units and other RTAF
units. Meanwhile Thailand’s armed
forces are seeking to use the
US-designed Link-T to connect the
different communication systems’
components and plans to be
completely network-centric by
2015.
It is said that the mixed fleet of
aircraft currently operated by the
RTAF is a challenge when it comes
to spare parts and maintenance,
but it is has its advantages too.
Fighter pilots have access to
dissimilar air combat training
(DACT) within Thailand’s borders
and can practise air-to-air combat
against Alpha Jets, F-5s or F-16s,
with or without the support of an
airborne early warning aircraft. An
RTAF source said: “Without
exaggerating, the JAS 39s have
had very good results so far.
Tactical handbooks are being
rewritten as network-based aerial
warfare is realised and the
advantages are obvious.”
The Gripens operate in the southern
part of the country, including over
the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of
Thailand. The RTAF saw a need for an
improved anti-surface warfare
(ASuW) capacity and bought the RBS
15 anti-ship missile for its Gripens.
They have no laser designation pod
(LDP), but a likely option is the
Lockheed Martin Sniper ATP which is
expected to be implemented with
the RTAF’s F-16s.
Surat Thani AFB has been completely upgraded with new buildings
for two squadrons: 701 which operates the Gripens and 702 with its
Saab 340 AEW and transport aircraft.
The base also has simulators and two
new hangars. Ambition within 701
Squadron is high, as is the Thai
defence budget. The RTAF now has
the resources to operate its new air
defence system and flies more hours
than other Gripen users.
United Kingdom
The Empire Test Pilots’ School
(ETPS) at MoD Boscombe Down,
Wiltshire, also uses the Gripen –
the JAS 39B model. Speciallypainted 39802 is one of three
available for service with the ETPS
since 1999. The other two have
usually been 39810 and 39813.
The ETPS buys simulator time and
leases the Gripens from Saab for its
advanced pilot training
programme. It is the only test
pilot school to include a fourthgeneration aircraft in its syllabus,
vital for students who are likely to
be involved in testing modern
military aircraft for future
procurement programmes. The
Gripen is used as a training
platform in aero-systems,
advanced flight control systems
and performance testing. From
2014 the ’B will probably be
replaced by the ’D.
data on the left screen while a
horizontal situation display in the
centre superimposed tactical information (from TIDLS and on-board
radar) on a digital map; radar information was displayed on the right.
Another step forward in safety
and effectiveness was the higher
ratio of hands-on-throttleand-stick (HOTAS) which was
introduced to control radar,
countermeasures, EW, weapon
systems, communications and
display information in flight
without the pilot having to take
his hands off the controls.
Perhaps the most intimate
human/machine interface (HMI)
is the seat. In the Gripen, Saab
has for the first time chosen to
use an ejection seat from an
external supplier instead of an
in-house design. A lightweight
version of the well-proven
Martin-Baker Mk 10, the Mk 10LS
(LS = Light Sweden), is the seat
of choice. It is a zero-zero seat,
meaning the pilot can safely eject
on the ground, but with a limit
of 100m (328 feet) if inverted.
Multi-role
A single- and two-seat Gripen high over a
snowy Sweden before delivery to the Royal
Thai Air Force. Saab/Anders Zeilon
58 #312 March 2014
Gripens refuelling from the SwAF’s sole Tp84 Hercules tanker. An air-to-air refuelling
capability was one of the new features introduced with the ’C/D version.
The JAS 39 can switch between
tactical roles in the air. The
pilot can change the avionics
and sensor settings instantly by
making a choice from a list on the
display, controlled by the joystick
on the throttle handle. A major
limiting factor is that the aircraft is
small, with only eight hardpoints
and a relatively small amount
of internal fuel – which means
that, even with the capability of
changing role in the air, weapon
load-outs need to be planned more
carefully than with bigger aircraft
with greater payload and range.
A Swedish Gripen pilot, Captain
‘Tank’, gave an example of how the
multirole capability was practised
during Exercise Red Flag 13-2 at
Nellis AFB, Nevada: “The radar
warning screen is full of symbols,
SAM positions that are still intact
and also enemy fighters! The
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adrenaline is pumping as we
approach the target area; we just
have to stay cool and not enter any
of the restricted zones. We break
to avoid an anti-aircraft position
that suddenly shows up in our way
before we turn to get in position
for the strike. The target is covered
with clouds, but we have very
accurate target co-ordinates, and
we can still launch our GBU-49s
[smart bombs with GPS support].
“The intense noise from the
radar warning system continues
while we get out of the target area
to make way for a second wave
of attacking aircraft. The group
commander reports to our fighter
escort that we’re ready for the
next phase of our mission – the
air war. I flick a switch and the
aircraft immediately resets from
ground attack to fighter configuration, and is prepared to use the
IRIS-Ts [infrared imaging system
tail/thrust vector-controlled
missile] and AMRAAMs against
air-to-air targets. Once again
we turn in over the target area
to support the next wave of
striking aircraft. The last fighter
finally delivers its bombs and we
are ready to return to Nellis.”
The aircraft is lightweight,
which is positive in some aspects
but negative in others: its small
size makes it hard to detect both
visually and by radar, even though
it lacks the stealth technology of
fifth-generation designs. On the
other hand, range and payload are
limited, characteristics that attract
the most criticism. “This is the art
of making aircraft design compromises. You can’t have your cake
and eat it too,” says Björn Johansson, the Gripen programme’s chief
engineer. But as it’s small, Gripen
is also relatively cheap to acquire
and operate and is one of the most
cost-effective warplanes in its
class, according to its operators.
JAS 39A and ’B –
the early days
The first batch of Gripens delivered
to the Swedish Air Force, serial
numbers 39102 to 39129, were
all the single-seat ’A version. It
was not originally intended to
include a two-seat version as the
expectation was that Swedish
pilots would easily convert to
type using a simulator. But when
it became clear there was export
interest, the need for a trainer and
demonstration aircraft became
apparent and so the ’B version was
designed and delivered in Batch 2.
In total 105 JAS 39As and 14 JAS
39Bs were manufactured, but three
of the former were retained and
operated by Saab as test aircraft.
The JAS 39A/B Gripen entered
service with the Swedish Air Force
in 1996, serving until December
13, 2012. They were expected
to equip 12 fighter squadrons,
but from the late 1990s until the
mid-2000s the air force faced
substantial budget cuts which led
to the closure of several fighter
wings and squadrons. Gripen ’As
and ’Bs were eventually delivered
to five wings, but only stayed
operational for an extended
period of time with three, of which
only two were fighter units.
The Swedish Defence Materiel
Administration (Försvarets Materielverk, FMV) was faced with a
large number of surplus jets which
needed storing and maintaining.
The considerable cost associated
with their administration made
the FMV look for alternative
options, such as selling some of the
unwanted jets abroad. The SwAF
was the only Gripen customer
at the time and the ’A and ’B
versions were tailored for Swedish
use. Nineteen of the aircraft in
Batch 2 were the new updated
’C-model, and it was this version
that attracted attention from
potential international customers.
Improved Gripen
As Saab’s ambition to attract
exports intensified, it looked
for a suitable partner to update
aircraft to NATO standards.
British Aerospace (now BAE
Systems) was chosen and the joint
venture ‘Gripen International’
was formed in 1995 to develop
and market the new jet.
The Gripen was developed
through a number of standards,
identified by alpha-numeric
designations – E16 was the first
’C-model to fly, in August 2003,
but it was a basically a JAS 39C
Above: A South African Gripen C landing at Ronneby AB during Exercise Lion Effort 2012 which brought together Gripens from every nation
that operates the type.
#312 March 2014
59
Aircraft Profile Saab JAS 39 Gripen
What’s it like?
AFM flies the Gripen
Saab JAS 39D demonstrator
39822 formates on Gripen
NG 39-7. Saab/Jamie Hunter
A three-ship of F 17 Gripens over lake
Vättern on their way back to their home
base at Ronneby.
airframe with software from an
’A-model. Its performance was
disappointing, but it provided a
lot of information for scientists
and engineers to work with.
Technicians took the opportunity
to familiarise themselves
with the new systems and
prepare for the jet’s introduction into air force service.
The first JAS 39C was delivered to
the SwAF in September 2004, operational with the flight-approved
E17:1 standard – but that iteration
was a long way from the finished
article. For instance, the air-to-air
refuelling system was installed but
not working and usable weapons
were few. By standard E18:9, many
of the growing pains that caused
restrictions and limitations were
fixed; the aircraft now featured
a functional air-to-air refuelling
system, more weapons choices, a
LDP, countermeasures systems and
radar warning receivers. A further
developed standard, E19, is now
in service and incorporates Link
16 and modern weapons such as
the AIM-2000 IRIS-T and GBU-49.
For the first time in a Swedish
fighter jet NVGs have been
introduced with Gripen C and ‘D
along with a night-vision lighting
mode. The system was tested
over many years and is now fully
integrated. The JAS 39C also has
a quieter and more reliable APU,
higher maximum load, reinforced
landing gear and the improved
EWS 39 electronic warfare suite.
In order to make the aircraft
compatible with NATO’s arsenal
of munitions, the computer
interfaces on the weapons pylons
have been modified. For example,
the jet was given a markedly
improved ground attack capacity
with the introduction of the
Litening III LDP and laser-guided
smart weapons such as the various
Paveway bombs. The Gripen can
also carry the TAURUS KEPD 350,
a bunker-buster cruise missile
(although Sweden has opted
not to buy it) and two important
attack weapons, the AGM-65
Maverick and the DWS 39 bomb
dispenser (SwAF BK M90), which
are no longer used by the SwAF.
The Gripen ’C and ’D has
improved as a fighter with
the introduction of the fifthgeneration short-to-medium
Above: A Hungarian AF Gripen C flying slowly behind the camera ship. Key archive
Below: Swedish Air Force JAS 39Cs and ’Ds on display at an airshow in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in
2011. Emil Lindberg
range IRIS-T, replacing the older
Sidewinder and the MBDA Meteor
BVRAAM (beyond visual range
air-to-air missile). Gripen was used
early in the trial phase and the
Saab test aircraft, 39101, was used
as the air launch demonstration
(ALD) platform. The first Meteor
ALDs were in May 2006 and in
September that year the first
successful launch was performed
at the Vidsel test range in northern
Sweden. Since then an intense
trials and testing programme has
continued as planned and in June
2013 Gripen was the first fighter to
fire a production example of the
Meteor. On December 18, 2013,
Saab received an order from the
FMV for the integration of the
MBDA Meteor with Gripen E.
The ‘S’ part of the JAS designation
was finally updated on the ’Cs
and ’Ds equipped to E19 standard.
After the retirement of the AJSF
37, the photo reconnaissance
version of the Viggen, the SwAF
lacked a PR capacity because the
JAS 39A/B had no recce facility.
The introduction of an LDP and
the new Spaningskapsel 39 (SPK
39 – modular reconnaissance pod,
MRP) provided the jet with a fully
developed reconnaissance system.
It is late autumn when AFM visits F
17 fighter wing in Kallinge. We are
there to get a sense of what it’s like
to handle this powerful and
unbalanced machine. The author
has flown fast jets before but, it
being his first time in a generation
4/4-plus fighter, doesn’t really know
what to expect.
First the flight briefing with the
pilots. Tension is beginning to build
a little. It’s usually at this point, in
situations like these, when someone
sticks his nose through the door
letting you know the adventure of
your lifetime has just been
cancelled. And that’s exactly what
happened ‘My’ aircraft was needed
for other, more important duties, I
was told. Aviation in a nutshell.
Hotel. Sleep. New morning.
Breakfast. Dark. Cold. Early. Tired.
Scraping ice from the car windshield.
I had a really positive feeling this
morning. Off to the base where the
JAS 39D was standing on the apron,
waiting for us to climb in. So, we’re
sitting there, all strapped in and ready
to go, when the panel lights up like a
Christmas tree. Now what? The pilot
and technician are discussing
something, the system reboots several
times and there it is – the familiar
whining noise from the APU.
As we taxi out to the runway I arm
the ejection seat, pull down the visor,
turn on the intercom and airflow to
the mask and ‘g’-suit and check the
air system is working correctly.
“Let’s go, then,” my pilot says. He
pushes the throttle forward and
we’re off. The Volvo RM 12 is doing
its thing and I can barely hold back
my laughter as we accelerate down
the runway and are airborne in no
time. We bank right and in a matter
of seconds we are doing Mach 0.9 at
14,000ft.
We are supposed to rendezvous
with a KC-130 at 16,000ft and I can
see it on the right-hand display as
the radar detects it. “There it is,” my
pilot says. I see nothing but clouds.
“Can you spot it?” “Uh… no?” This
is probably one of the reasons I
won’t make pilot. Then I see it,
2,000ft above us heading in the
opposite direction. “Hold on!” We
bank, turn, climb and are on his tail
instantly. The manoeuvre is very
precise and direct – the turn is about
5g and I have to work a bit to keep
the blood in my head. Now we’re
flying at approximately 215kts to
keep pace with the tanker.
My pilot is manoeuvring carefully
now and I am amazed by the precise
movements of this nine-tonne
aircraft, inch by inch to connect with
the tiny fuel nozzle hanging in a
hose from the Hercules tanker. Airto-air refuelling is nothing new, but
when you see it live just in front of
your nose it is amazing. We don’t
actually need to refuel, so we break
from the tanker to go on a chase
with a second JAS 39D. We do some
aerobatic manoeuvres, vertical
climbs, sharp turns, Immelmann
turns, a quick dive to 100ft and fly
some low-level high-speed passes
alongside a couple of merchant
ships. It’s all very exciting, but time
is running out and my stomach has
had it by now, so we go back to base.
It’s when we do the smoothest
landing I have ever done that I can
confirm what I have already realised.
It is not the power that impresses, nor
is it the tight turns or rapid climbing.
It’s how the aircraft is moving. How it
keeps the energy in the turns, how
rapidly and precisely it reacts to the
pilot’s handling. Impressive.
Well, this 25-year-old fighter is
definitely not an outdated aircraft.
The SPK 39 pod was devised by
Danish company Terma, which
had previous experience in this
field from its work on the MRP for
the F-16. The Gripen pod comes in
two versions with different camera
and sensor setups – SPK 39 IV
(incident and visual) with a digital
CA-270 camera plus a SKA 24 wetfilm camera; and SPK39 V (visual),
which is digital only but has a
360 ° rotation window providing
horizon-to-horizon coverage.
The international-standard Link 16
is now an option, but at the moment
is integrated only in Swedish and
Hungarian Gripens. TIDLS may be
superior in certain aspects, but it is
Gripen- and limited to four aircraft:
Link 16 opens the door to full
interoperability with NATO forces.
thoroughly tested over Libya in
2011 during Operation Unified
Protector (OUP). After a formal
request from NATO in March,
the Swedish Government sent
eight JAS 39C Gripens to Libya
with the caveat they must not
engage any ground targets.
The SwAF began its deployment
to Sigonella in Sicily on April 2
to take part in the air campaign
over the Mediterranean and
North Africa. The jets remained
deployed until the end of October,
flying their first mission on April
7. The first part of the deployment,
given the designation FL01 and
manned mainly by F 17 personnel,
lasted from April 1 to July 1 and
covered enforcing the no-fly zone
(NFZ) over Libya plus tactical
air reconnaissance. The second
period came under the command
of F 21 with personnel from F 7,
F 17, F 21 and other parts of the
air force. Known as FL02, it ran
from July 1 to October 25 with
the task of providing tactical air
reconnaissance across the full
spectrum of UN-mandated tasks,
enforcing the NFZ and the arms
embargo as well as supporting
the mission to protect civilians.
This was the first international
operation for the SwAF in more
than 50 years and it learned a
lot – not only how to work within
the NATO organisation but also
new ways of using the Gripen.
Despite being a non-NATO
member the integration with its
forces worked well although there
were a few teething problems,
such as fuel incompatibility and
the lack of access to the Secret
Mission Network. Challenges
such as these were soon overcome
and eventually the Gripens fitted
in well with NATO forces.
All missions were tasked by
combined air operations centre
No 5 (CAOC 5) in Poggio Renatico,
Italy. Usually the Gripens
followed specific corridors,
overflying Malta on their
way to the target, and before
the first air-to-air refuelling off
the Libyan coast they received
targeting and other information
updates from a NATO E-3 AWACS.
Besides the SPK 39, the JAS 39s
usually carried an LDP, AMRAAM
and IRIS-T missiles and, after
carrying out the initial task, they
could refuel, switch role and stand
by in the air waiting for ‘dynamic
targeting’ – time-sensitive reconnaissance targets. Lt Col Stefan
Wilson, commander of FL 01, said
allies’ initial scepticism about the
facility offered by the relatively
unknown Gripens began to
ease when the SwAF fulfilled
its tasks and started delivering
high-quality photo material and
accurate image analyses. Overall
during OUP, the eight Gripens
flew some 570 missions (around
70 swing-role) and more than
1,770 flight hours and delivered
2,770 reconnaissance reports.
International
operations
The Gripen’s ability to work with
NATO allies and its worth as a
reconnaissance platform were
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#312 March 2014
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#312 March 2014
61
Aircraft Profile Saab JAS 39 Gripen
Cobra for the Griffin
South Africa’s Gripens have a unique
camouflage scheme. Saab
NG – Next Generation
The Swedish Government issued
a concept study programme in
2007 to get an idea of how the
Gripen system could be developed
to meet the needs of a future
Swedish fighter. The downsizing
of the SwAF had seen a drastic
reduction of fighter units and
available bases as well as the
shutdown of the former ‘Bas 90’
road base system. Today the SwAF
consists of two fighter wings, one
training wing and a few temporary
frontline bases. To put this into
perspective, during the ‘Cold War’
era the SwAF was regarded as the
fourth-strongest air force in the
world with 17 active wings and
about a thousand aircraft at its
disposal. Sweden is a big country
with a long coastline to police and
is strategically located between
NATO and the Russian Federation.
With the two fighter wings
remaining, approximately 680
miles (1,100km) apart, the SwAF
needed an aircraft with better
reach and load capability. As a
result, Saab built a demonstrator aircraft (39-7, former JAS
39B s/n 39803) to use as a test
platform – for a new engine,
avionics, sensor systems and
landing gear – that would become
the Gripen NG (next generation),
which has been flying since 2008.
The Gripen NG has since been
designated Gripen E and F.
Finding partners to spread development costs was vital for any
project of this magnitude and such
liaison was more or less a condition for the Swedish Government
to give a go-ahead on the project.
In August 2012 it signed a partnership contract with Switzerland and
announced that 40 to 60 aircraft
would be ordered to enter service
62 #312 March 2014
in 2023 in the SwAF. Even though
political negotiations are ongoing
in Switzerland and no contract
has been signed for any aircraft,
the Swedish Government was
confident enough that Switzerland
would in fact buy Gripen that it
ordered Saab to continue with the
development of the Gripen NG. An
initial research and development
contract worth SEK 2.5 billion
(£254 million), signed in February
2013, was followed by a second
development order worth SEK
10.7 billion (£1 billion). Then, on
December 18, the FMV received a
SEK 16.4bn serial production order
to convert 60 Gripen ’Cs to Gripen
’Es between 2013 and 2026, with
initial deliveries in 2018. Gripen
A South African Air Force pilot
climbs into his jet during Lion
Effort 2012.
NG is the only new jet fighter
development project currently
running in Western Europe.
So what is Gripen E and what
is expected from it? AFM visited
the Saab development facility in
Linköping to get an idea. Björn
Johansson, the chief engineer on
the Gripen E/F project, is a former
fighter pilot and flying engineer
with more than 30 years’ service
in the SwAF flying the Draken,
Viggen and Gripen. He is also a
USAF Test Pilot School graduate
and has more than 16 years of
flight testing experience and was
the first pilot to log more than
1,000 flight hours on the JAS 39.
He said that when the SwAF
looked at potential future threats
it came up with a list of requirements for a new aircraft, including
the need for extended range; an
increased weapons payload and
more hardpoints; a MIL-STD 1760E
Class 2 weapon pylon interface
and further adaptation to modern
standards; an upgraded sensor
suite with active electronicallyscanned array (AESA) radar;
improved communication and
fighter link including satellite
communications (SATCOM); an
improved EW capability; a quick
software-update capability; and
a low life-cycle cost. He added:
“An obvious conclusion is, of
course, that extended range and
increased payload will require
more fuel, which as a consequence
will result in a bigger and
heavier aircraft and the need for
a more powerful engine – this
was our starting point.”
Mr Johansson admitted a
choice had to be made between
a completely new design or
developing the Gripen system.
“The first thing we did was to find
an engine that could do the job. It
had to be powerful enough, cost
effective, reliable and fit in our
existing airframe with reasonable
modifications. We basically had
two choices – the GE F414-400 or a
modified RM 12. The choice fell on
the F414, an existing and wellproven engine [2.5 million-plus
hours] with many of the safety
features that were required on the
RM 12 already implemented in the
basic design. It has more thrust
and approximately the same builtin centre of gravity [CoG] as the
RM 12 in a similarly sized package.
Some initial modifications were
made to adapt it to the airframe.
“We will optimise this engine
for single-engine use as we did
www.airforcesmonthly.com
One of the most interesting systems
to be used with the modern Gripen
is the BAE Cobra helmet-mounted
display (HMD). It derives from the
technology used in the Eurofighter
Typhoon Striker HMD system, with
the addition of a Gripen-specific
symbology set, and connects the
pilot intimately with the aircraft,
further improving the HMI. It is fully
integrated with the Gripen’s
avionics system and manages the
different weapon and sensor
systems via the MIL-STD 1553B
digital data bus.
The helmet itself is a two-shell
design. The outer part is the
platform for the display and optical
parts and includes a pair of fully
overlapped CRTs giving a 40° field
of view – and can display either
raster (bitmap) or vector-generated
graphics. The outer helmet also
includes infrared LEDs for tracking
while the inner shell, custom fitted
by laser scan to the pilot’s head,
contains communication
equipment and a tailored oxygen
mask and mounting points to
ensure a perfect fit.
Sensor information is presented
directly on the visor in front of the
pilot’s eyes and multiple targets can
be followed, selected, locked onto and
fired on. Because the pilot has all the
relevant information in front of his
eyes, he can keep his head up at all
times without having to look at the
head-down displays. The helmet’s
position in relation to the aircraft is
tracked using a Carl Zeiss Optronics
(now Cassidian-owned) electrooptical tracking system comprising
three complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor tracking sensors.
The information picked up by the
aircraft’s radar and other sensors
Swedish Air Force new generation Gripen
fighters will be equipped with the latest
version of a helmet mounted display (HMD)
system. The order from FMV, Sweden´s
Defence Material Administration is worth
SEK 345 million ($US 54 million). Saab
can therefore be presented in the
direction the pilot is pointing his
head, which means he can see and
fire at targets in any direction the
sensors detect them, even if it is
through the cockpit side wall,
underneath the aircraft or behind it.
The system is controlled by head
and eye motion, which makes it very
fast and precise. The HMD is of
most use in close up, within visual
range (WVR) combat, when used
with the sophisticated IRIS-T shortrange missile.
Helmets similar to these have
been in use in helicopters for years,
but in a jet fighter the displays have
to be quicker and carry more
information. As the helmet is a part
of a fighter pilot’s safety gear it has
to be perfectly balanced as well as
protect his head. It must also be
able to handle high ‘g’ forces,
protect the wearer during an
ejection and provide protection
from shrapnel or from a blow to the
head sustained, for example, during
a parachute landing. The project,
which started in 2003, has been
long and challenging, but the Cobra
HMD system is now mature and
approved for use in Gripen.
with the F404, but in this case the
changes will be confined to the
redundancy requirements of the
control and ignition systems. The
engine itself does not require any
major modifications to meet our
standards. With the improvements and the optimisation of
FADEC to get the engine to perform
according to our needs, it will
have the designation F414G.
“We adapted the fuselage to
install the new engine – the
landing gear was moved outwards
to make room for more internal
fuel [almost 50% more] and extra
fuselage pylons. These major
changes would affect the weight
and aerodynamics. This was step
one to see if it was at all possible to
use Gripen as a basis for the new
aircraft. We flew it and relatively
soon saw that what we had to pay
in terms of drag and weight was
acceptable and we could move on
to test new avionics and sensors.
“The most important feature in
the modified avionics system was
that we separated flight-critical
and mission-related applications
by the use of layers within the
ARINC 653 specification. This
simplifies and speeds up the
complex validation process
necessary for each change
or update of the software; an
extremely valuable asset in a
modern world where changes tend
to happen more and more quickly.
“We’re also working intimately
with the customer on improving
the HMI. At first sight the panels
and displays look very similar
to the existing ’C-model cockpit,
but the changes appear when
the system is up and running.
The new avionics and sensors
give the pilot more, and better,
information to work with, and
our ambition is that it will also be
easier for the pilot to handle all
the tools he has to choose from
the toolbox. The pilot will tell the
system what he wants to see – for
instance, ‘low flying target over
sea’ – and the system will select
the sensor best suited for that
purpose. The pilot will not have to
decide if, for example, the IRST or
LDP is the best choice at any given
moment: the system will do it for
him. It will also be easier for the
pilot to work with and handle the
displays. He may want to have
an overview on one screen and a
detail enlargement on another. We
call it presentation customisation.
“An AESA radar is of course an
essential component in a modern
sensor suite. Besides the stateof-the-art detection and tracking
performance, this kind of radar can
also be a part of the communications and datalink system. AESA
will for sure make Gripen a better
multirole performer. We had
certain performance requirements
but we wanted – or needed – that
performance in a radar unit that
we could mount in our existing
airframe without redesigning the
aerodynamic shape of the radome.
“Our choice was the Selex Galileo
Raven ES-05. Selex Galileo’s
swashplate design with very
good field of view [+/-105°] and
the implementation of air-to-air
and air-to-ground modes was
first tested in a prototype, Raven
1000P. We mounted it for in-flight
evaluation in the 39-7 airframe
back in 2010 and were satisfied
“The first thing we did was to find an engine that could
do the job. It had to be powerful enough, cost effective,
reliable and fit in our existing airframe with reasonable
modifications”
Czech JAS 39C 9245 from 211th Tactical
Sqn was painted in this macabre colour
scheme before attending the 2011 NATO
Tiger Meet at Volkel AB, the Netherlands.
Saab
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Aircraft Profile Saab JAS 39 Gripen
South Africa owns nine JAS 39Ds. A ‘false
cockpit’, intended to confuse enemy pilots
in air-to-air combat, can just be seen
painted under the front fuselage. Frans
Dely/Saab
with the results. Some small
modifications to the basic design
have been made, but it’s more or
less COTS [commercial off-theshelf] and since the summer of
2012 we’ve been flying with the
pre-production ES-05 installed.
“We’ve also installed an infrared
search and track [IRST] unit, Selex
Galileo’s Skyward-G, for flight
testing. To implement this kind
of radar is not only a matter of
physical size, it also affects the
CoG as it requires liquid cooling,
which places a lot of weight
further forward compared to
its predecessor, the PS-05. This
would not have been possible
without the enlargement of the
airframe structure to accommodate the new fuel tank.
“The combination of all the
changes we needed to do proved
successful and we managed to
incorporate them in the existing ’C
and ’D airframe while maintaining
the balance and flight characteristics. At this stage we can say that
using the foundation of Gripen ’C
and ’D gave us the most costeffective and fastest way to achieve
the specification set by the SwAF.”
Captain ‘Tank’ is one of the
test pilots to fly the test aircraft,
39-7. He has been a SwAF
fighter pilot since 1998 and has
approximately 1,600 hours in his
log. “I have only tested 39-7 in
the light fighter configuration.
The immediate impression is
64 #312 March 2014
“We adapted the fuselage to install the
new engine – the landing gear was moved
outwards to make room for more internal fuel
[almost 50% more] and extra fuselage pylons”
that the new engine obviously
Switzerland –
has more power. You can really
first NG nation?
feel the engine kick in at take-off
even ‘dry’, without afterburner.
Acceleration has improved and
so has the climb performance.
From the test flights I have done I
can also confirm that the aircraft
can super-cruise with the new
engine [supercruise is supersonic
flight without using afterburner].
Otherwise the flight characteristics are just like a standard ’C/D,
at least with a light load. I can’t
feel any dramatic difference,
despite the greater wingspan.”
In September 2013 the two
chambers of the Swiss Parliament,
Nationalrat and Ständerat, voted
‘yes’ to go ahead with the procurement of 22 Gripen NGs. However,
Switzerland practises one of the
most diligent forms of democracy
in the world, which means the
political process is still pending.
The naysayers in the country don’t
want an air force at all, and they
certainly don’t want to invest even
more money on expensive new
fighters. On January 29, 2014 the
Swiss government announced
that a referendum on the Gripen
purchase will be held on May 18,
2014 after opponents submitted
more than 65,000 valid signatures
to the authorities, which under the
Swiss system of direct democracy
is enough to force a referendum.
Polls show that a majority of
voters are against buying Gripen
which would cost 3.13 billion
Swiss francs ($3.47 billion).
Either way, Switzerland is
preparing for the Gripen and has
had two pilots trained to basic
level at the Gripencentrum in
Sweden, plus another two who
will achieve instructor status.
The (possible) future
Eddy de la Motte, former head
of Gripen Export, gave AFM his
analysis of the market situation
and how the Saab portfolio fits in.
“The go-ahead for Gripen E doesn’t
mean the present version all of
a sudden gets old and outdated
– on the contrary,” he said. “The
development we’re doing with
the upcoming ’E will be offered as
upgrade kits where it is applicable.
To stay modern and continue to be
a team-player within the system,
as [it is] today, JAS 39 ’C and ’D will
have to be upgradable on a regular
basis. To do so, we must keep track
of the competition and technical
developments and keep avionics,
sensors and EW up-to-date. It’s
also technically possible to update
the radar and engine, but it’s
not a relevant alternative since
it will require pretty much the
same structural changes we did
on the demonstrator aircraft,
which will be very expensive.
“We’re also looking into new
options and possibilities we can
offer if there’s an interest on the
market. Optionally-Manned
Gripen is, for instance, very much a
realistic possibility. I can see many
scenarios where such a solution
will make sense, such as relocation or operations in distant or
contaminated zones. The weight
occupied by the pilot, seat and
other systems can instead be used
for fuel or other loads. Without
a limiting human being in the
aircraft we can also push the limits
for manoeuvrability. We have the
necessary unmanned aerial vehicle
technology from products like
Skeldar and the Filur unmanned
combat air vehicle plus senseand-avoid systems, which can
relatively easily be implemented in
the existing aircraft design. We will
wait and see what the market says.
“Sea Gripen is another example
of a realisable development
step if customers request it. We
can see that negative economic
development in the world, with
shrinking defence budgets,
is driving operators to
Technicians loading a GBU-12 practice
bomb (with Swedish markings) during
Red Flag 08-3. Emil Lindberg
The Gripen Centre
F 7 wing in Såtenäs was
commissioned by the SwAF and the
Swedish Government to establish a
training centre for all Gripen pilots
and technicians. The
Gripencentrum was founded on
June 9, 1996, and since then
around eight Swedish pilots each
year have passed through its doors.
In more recent times they have
been joined by foreign jet jockeys.
All technicians begin their training
in Halmstad at the Armed Forces’
Technical School (Försvarsmaktens
Tekniska Skola, FMTS). The Swedes
then move to one of their fighter
wings to finish training – but those
from other countries continue to F 7
for the corresponding hands-on
practical training on the operational
aircraft at the centre.
Two Gripen squadrons make up F 7
wing. The 2nd Squadron trains SwAF
pilots while personnel from overseas
are assigned to the 1st Squadron: so
far, pilots from the Czech, Hungarian
and Thai air forces have gone
through its basic training course. An
initial six months of conversion
training to gain familiarity with the
Gripen is followed by the first phase
of combat readiness training, where
pilots begin to learn the tactical
features of the system. Each
student, or customer, then decides
whether to continue to a higher level
(eg instructor) at the Swedish
training centre or to finish on home
ground.
revaluate their options. It’s become
clear for many nations that their
defence tasks have to be carried
through with less money.
“A new fighter system is a big
investment for any nation and
today the customers need ‘more
for less’. Denmark and Canada
are examples of such nations. It’s
not clear what they will choose
in the end, but we’re confident
that our product fits very well
with that way of thinking.
“The fact that our existing
customers in Europe, Asia
and Africa are satisfied with
Gripen, and are prolonging and
extending contracts, is sending
positive signals to other potential
customers in these regions.
Gripen is definitely on the list
when Slovakia and Malaysia are
looking to buy new fighters. In
Europe, Denmark is looking at
the alternatives again and will
probably make a decision in 2015.
Finland and Belgium are also
interesting to us. Croatia, Portugal
and Greece are other small nations
with tight budgets that we’re
keeping an eye on for the future.
“South America is a new market
sector for us and it is no secret that
Brazil is the key to that market.
The region is big and we have seen
some interest from other nations
as well; Chile, Peru and Mexico.”
Mr de la Motte will have been
delighted to hear the announcement made on December 18 by
Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff
that Gripen NG was the winner
of the county’s FX-2 fighter
replacement programme. The jet
beat Boeing’s Super Hornet and
Dassault’s Rafale. Speaking at a
press conference after the official
announcement, Brazilian defence
minister Celso Amorim and
General Juniti Saito, the air force’s
chief of staff, said the fighters will
be delivered in four years. The total
cost of the deal will be $4.5 billion.
“The choice took into account
performance, technology transfer
and cost, not only for acquisition
but also for maintenance. The decision was based on the best balance
of those factors,” Amorim said.
The four-year delivery time
frame seems optimistic. AFM
spoke to Saab the day after the
announcement and the official
line was that, because no contracts
had been signed, all options were
available, including Brazil receiving
a number of earlier Gripens
as stopgaps until Gripen
afm
NG becomes available.
Right: The first wave
of Swedish Air Force
Gripens about to depart
their home base at
Ronneby en route to
Sigonella on Sicily to take
part in operations over
Libya in 2011.
Swedish Gripens have an anti-shipping role.
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