Micael Johansson, the CEO of Swedish company Saab, confirmed to Swedish media that Portugal and Canada are studying whether to buy the JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighter jet.
Micael Johansson, the CEO of Swedish company Saab, confirmed to Swedish media that Portugal and Canada are studying whether to buy the JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighter jet.
Gripen is actually very capable fighter jet with very modular design. It’s not as cool looking as F-35, but makes up for it with capabilities, reliability and ease of maintenance.
The F35 is so much more advanced as an operations platform that the two are barely comparable and I say this as a staunch European.
Could you explain why, please?
I’m not an expert so you should look into this yourself but the way I understand it is that the F35 has leading EFW capabilities, the ability to be fully integrated into a digital battle management system (which is crucial in the NATO combined arms doctrine), can coordinate with autonomous drones and also has the best stealth factor.
This was already covered in great detail all over the internet, but the main two factors are:
Stealth. The F-35 is much harder to detect, and you can’t attack what you don’t know is there.
Less talked about is “sensor fusion” which aggregates sensor data from the aircraft and others to give a much fuller view of the situation.
Thanks. This leaves me with follow up questions:
If the plane is used for defence, is visibility that important?
Sensor fusion is a software feature. Why can’t it be replicated in other aircrafts easily?
Sure, it reduces losses and gives much more tactical advantage.
It isn’t just software. Even the pilot’s helmet in the F-35 is highly specialized and has integrated HUD:
Why can’t the helmet be used in the Gripen?
The Gripen doesn’t have the systems (hardware or software) to run it. The F-35 was designed from the ground up to use this.
SAAB have a basic version but there’s less info about it and it’s certainly less advanced. https://www.saab.com/newsroom/press-releases/2016/saab-receives-order-from-fmv-for-a-new-helmet-mounted-display-system
The planes are designed to carry several tons of bombs. For sure there must be some space to store some CPUs and memory.
If the helmet is such a key feature then it’s worth developing a European version. The good thing about a helmet is that it’s easy to replace, unlike other parts of the plane. So the Gripen can be bought right now, and then suppliers can deliver helmets. Have an open market for them with a public specification of the interfaces and thus a thriving European helmet industry.