Swedish JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter jets soon to be modernized to reach 2035

Pending delivery of all 72 JAS 39 Gripen E/Fs ordered by Flygvapnet, Saab will modernize Sweden's Gripen C/Ds to extend their effective operational life to 2035.

In many ways, Sweden is a unique country when it comes to defence. With a population of only 10 million inhabitants, and a GDP of €620 billion, 25% of that of France and 15% of that of Germany, the country manages to maintain very advanced industrial capabilities in the field of defense , with in particular one of the three main European design offices and shipyards capable of designing modern submarines, as well as one of the few aircraft manufacturers in the world with experience in the design of combat aircraft .

This is how the Drakken and then the Viggen of the Flygvapnet, the Swedish Air Force, effectively protected the Swedish skies throughout the Cold War, and were even exported to Finland and Austria in particular. In 1988, the Swedish aircraft manufacturer SAAB presented the JAS 39 Gripen during its first flight, a single-engine fighter intended as a direct alternative to the F-16 and the French Mirages, and the worthy successor to the JAS-37 Viggen.

Compact with a length of 14 meters for a wingspan of 8,5 meters, and light with an empty weight of only 5 tons, the Gripen quickly established itself as one of the three members of the famous family of Euroducks, With the Typhoon of Eurofighter and the Rafale from Dassault.

Offering superior performance to that of the F-16 C/D of the time, the Gripen achieved several export successes, being chosen in particular by the Czech Republic and Hungary in Europe, as well as Thailand and South Africa. South in the world, while the Rafale was not exported, and that beyond initial captive markets like Saudi Arabia, the Typhoon he too struggled to find opportunities on the international scene.

The first Gripen A was delivered to Flygvapnet in 1996, but it quickly became clear that the aircraft needed to be modernized to remain internationally competitive and effective against the arrival of new fighters such as the Russian Su-30SM. Thus, in 2006, the first Gripen C was delivered, with modernized avionics, extended armament carrying capacities and an in-flight refueling pole.

To date, the Flygvapnet aligns 71 Gripen C single-seaters, as well as 23 Gripen D two-seaters used for transformation missions, but also equipped with all the operational capabilities of the single-seater version.

In 2016, it also ordered 60 JAS 39 Gripen E, an advanced version of the aircraft equipped with completely renewed avionics including, in particular, an AESA radar and an integrated defense suite, a new F414 turbojet engine allowing the aircraft to maintain a supercruise, and many new generation armaments, including the Meteor long-range air-to-air missile.

The first copy was delivered in 2021. The Gripen C/D were to leave service from 2025. But the hardening of the threat in Europe led Stockholm to revise its planning, and to decide to extend the 60 Gripen until 2035, when the devices should be able to be replaced by the successor to the Gripen being designed.

It is in order to respond to this need that the Swedish authorities notified, on 16 December, a contract worth 3,5 billion crowns, i.e. €320 million, for the modernization of the 60 Gripen C so as to extend its operational life to 2035.

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