Saab JAS 39 Gripen

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (English: Griffin) is a lightweight single-engine multirole fighter manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. It was designed to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen in the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet). The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stability design and fly-by-wire technology. It is powered by the Volvo-Flygmotor RM12 engine, a derivative of the General Electric F404, and has a top speed of Mach 2. In 1979, the Swedish government began development studies for an aircraft capable of fighter, attack and reconnaissance missions to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen. A new design from Saab was selected and developed as the JAS 39. Comparatively small relative to similar fighters, the Gripen has eight hardpoints that allow it to carry various armaments and equipment. It is also fitted with a single 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon. Beset by early problems with its avionics during flight testing, during which a prototype was lost, the aircraft entered service in 1997. Saab has since cooperated with other aerospace companies in marketing the aircraft internationally, and has achieved moderate success in Central Europe, South Africa and Southeast Asia. More than 240 Gripens have been delivered or ordered as of 2012.

Specifications (Gripen E/F)

 * General Specifications
 * Crew: 1 (Gripen E); 2 (Gripen F)
 * Length: 14.1 m (46 ft 3 in), two-seater: 14.76 m (48 ft 5 in)
 * Wingspan: 8.41 m (27 ft 7 in)
 * Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
 * Wing Area: 30.0 m² (323 ft²)
 * Empty Weight: 7,121.4 kg (15,700 lbs)
 * Loaded Weight: 9,071.85 kg (20,000 lbs)
 * Maximum Takeoff Weight: 16,511 kg (36,400 lbs)
 * Power Plant: 1 x General Electric F414G afterburning turbofan
 * Dry Thrust: 15,600 lbf
 * Thrust with Afterburner: 22,000 lbf
 * Wheel Track: 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in)
 * Performance
 * Supercruise: Mach 1.2 (with 2 WVR and 2 BVR missiles)
 * Maximum Speed: Mach 2
 * Combat Radius: 1,300 kilometers
 * Ferry Range: 4,078 kilometers
 * Rate of Climb: 50,000ft/min
 * Service Ceiling: 50,000 feet
 * Wing Loading: 58lb/ft2
 * Internal Fuel: 3,311.2 kg (7,300 lbs)
 * External Fuel: 2,764.8 kg (8,300 lbs)
 * Thrust/Weight: 1.1
 * Armament
 * Guns: 1 x Mauser BK-27 27mm revolver cannon
 * Hardpoints: 10 (can carry up to 15,875 pounds of ordnance)
 * Missiles
 * Air-to-Air Missiles: AIM-9X Sidewinder, AIM-120C/D AMRAAM, AIM-132 ASRAAM, A-Darter, DERBY, IRIS-T, MBDA Mica, MBDA Meteor, Python 4/5, Skyflash
 * Air-to-Ground Missiles: AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-154 JSOM, Brimstone, DWS.39, CRV7 rockets, Taurus KEPD 350, RBS.15F,
 * Bombs: GBU-10/12/16 Paveway II, GBU-22/24 Paveway III, GBU-31/32/38 JDAM, GBU-39 SDB, Bk.90 cluster bomb, Lizard II/III smart bomb, Mark 82/83/84 bomb, SPICE smart bomb
 * Avionics
 * Raven AESA Radar
 * Skyward G IRST
 * Cobra HDMS
 * ECM pods
 * BOL advanced countermeasure dispenser
 * MAW (missile approach warner)
 * Laser Warning System, towed decoy
 * Internally mounted RF jammers.

Users

 * Botswana
 * Botswana Defence Force Air Wing x 16
 * Croatia
 * Croatian Air Force x 12
 * Czech Republic
 * Czech Air Force x 14
 * Hungary
 * Hungarian Air Force x 14
 * South Africa
 * South African Air Force x 36
 * Sweden
 * Swedish Air Force x 134
 * Thailand
 * Royal Thai Air Force x 40
 * United Kingdom
 * Royal Air Force x 2