Saab Gripen: The easy-to-fly fighter jet that could be on its way to Ukraine

Nato has been bolstered by the arrival of another 98 Gripen fighter jets now Sweden has joined the alliance.

The Saab JAS 39C Gripens are set to play a pivotal role in Nato's air operations, potentially extending their reach to support Ukraine.

It is understood that Ukrainian pilots are currently undergoing training on the Gripen, and discussions are underway regarding the possible transfer of some airframes to Ukraine.

#forcesnews #news #nato #sweden #ukraine #aircraft

[asheshinfinite]

One of the prettiest and the sleekest looking jets around! The Swedes are the best weapon engineers! 🇸🇪 👏💪👍

[VanderlyndenJengold]

I love that the Swedes have airbases on their public roads... or used to. They can rapidly bring them back into use in no time at all I bet.

[matrixbadger]

I was fortunate to meet Major 'Sunshine' at RIAT 2022. He's very knowledgeable and friendly.

[kralikkral]

Germany should order 100 of them and lease also some to Ukraine. As counter business Sweden could order 500 German tanks.
We in Germany need an airplane that can be used on roads and which is easy to maintain. We have too much high-tech and no practical things, as usual.

[dmr]

This is what is needed. Not F16s. Quick, Easy to Fly, Reduced Training, Reduced Cost. Right tool for the right job.

[philipfieldhouse]

A damn site more appropriate for Ukraine than the F16 which requires far too much maintenance and ground support.

[kralikkral]

I very much hope, that Ukraine gets 12-14 Gripen.
This was what I said from the beginning of this war, that this plane is ideal for Ukraine.. it can use roads, it can rearm quickly, it is strong in electronic warfare. And probably it´s strong electronic warfare is the reason why it did not go to Ukraine until today - Sweden did not want that Russians can find out too many details about it.

[camdenmcandrews]

Beautimous. The great advantage of the Gripen is that it can take off and land just about anywhere, so the enemy never knows where it's coming from or when it will appear. Speaking as a retired aerospace engineer, I would love to have been sitting with the design team when they settled on the canard configuration.

Great nations do not negotiate with terrorists.

[Lost-In-Blank]

If we'd ordered Gripens for Ukraine back in 2022, when Phase II of the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian War kicked off, Ukraine would have had its own fighter jets flying for a year already. Instead we're waiting for the war to end before we send the F-16s in.

[Retroscoop]

Also crucial, it's STOL capacity of course, and the ability to take off from highways. And well, the Swedes sell it as the ultimate "MiG killer", so that too might help. While hoping it also loves to "eat" Sukhoi et al.

[RhysMorgan]

I had a really interesting chat with their ground team at RIAT 24 as they demo’ed reloading the Meteor missile in 2 minutes.

The turnaround between missions is 20 minutes, run by a technician and 4 conscripts: reload, refuel and launch.

Perfect for Ukraine!

[RogierYou]

No airfield needed and only a small ground support crew 👍

[SA-xfeb]

Very nice. Canada, UK, and the Baltics need a lot of these. They complement the F35 and the Euro fighter

[Lost-In-Blank]

More front-line countries, countries that border Russia, where all of their airfields are within FPV drone range of Russia, should be buying Gripen. Easier to fly from highways. Easier to train ground crew. And cheaper, so they can buy more.

[mpnlnnc]

The Grippen is the logical aircraft to have in Ukraine but the U.S. don't want anyone to realize that because it could hit there sales.

[gimigimi]

Far superior to f16 as the Nato games have proved !!!

[chrismitchell]

Great news the ideal fighter for Ukraine!

[tomdolan]

Note the lack of external weapons pilons. Note the poor internal store’s capacity

[christopherwang]

Is the Eurofighter Typhoon a viable twin-engine "heavy fighter" option for Ukraine to counter Russia's Sukhoi Su-27, Su-30, and Su-35?

[verdebusterAP]

True but the critical fact is that isnt enough for a sustained conflict
if you factor in mission needs, losses, accidents and maintenance
Ukraine would need 40-60 planes, There are only 300 JAS-39s built
With the F-16
there are over 4600 built
Enough for Ukraine needs right now
For the future, yes buy JAS-39E/F but for now
its F-16