Swedish firm Saab’s Gripen is one of the few major multi-role fighter jets marketed worldwide over the course of the last decade. It often competes with the US’ F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and the French Rafale jets in global fighter jet deals. It also offered the J-39 Gripen fighter jet to India at less than half the price of the French Rafale. But India is totally “ignoring” this fighter jet and looking beyond it after a lot of lobbying & serious marketing from Sweden. The Swedish aerospace corporation Saab is using every relationship to try to sell fighter jets to India, but at the moment all these efforts are going in vain. Now it seems like Sweden’s ability to win Indian Air Force’s “Multi-Purpose Combat aircraft competition is almost negligible.
The Saab Gripen Fighter
The Gripen is a compact, versatile, single-engine, fighter powered by a Volvo-Flygmotor RM12 engine. The aircraft was the outcome of a joint development project undertaken by Aerotech Telub, Ericsson Microwave Systems, Saab Military Aircraft, and Volvo Aero Corporation. It is a fourth-generation fighter that was originally developed in the 1980s to serve as a relatively cheaper, easy-to-maintain aircraft capable of fighting off any potential assailant. The Gripen project is the biggest industrial venture in the history of the Nordic country.
The Gripen began life in 1979, as consequence of a Swedish government decision to develop a domestic replacement for the Draken and Viggen jet fighters. Sweden was one of the smallest countries in the world to maintain an aerospace industry sufficiently sophisticated to develop an advanced jet fighter, and the Gripen helped ensure that the industry would remain in good health.
Over time, the original A and B iterations of the Gripen made way for the much-improved C and D model aircraft. The E/F variant adds greater range and payload capability and has much more advanced avionics. It features the new British-built Selex Raven ES-05 active electronically scanned array radar as a replacement for the older, mechanically-scanned PS-05/A. The Gripen also comes with compendious networking capabilities.
The JAS-39 is a single-engine light multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Saab Aerospace Corporation of Sweden. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stability design and fly-by-wire flight controls.
The Different JAS 39 Gripen Varients
As of 2022, more than 280 Gripens of all models, A–F, have been built.
JAS 39C equipped with GBU-39 SBD, Meteor, and IRIS-T. JAS-39 was developed to replace the old JAS-37 Thunder and JAS-35 Dragon fighters of the Swedish Air Force. In addition to the Swedish Air Force, JAS-39’s customers include the Brazilian Air Force, South Africa, the Czech Republic, and in Southeast Asia, Thailand. The JAS-39 Gripen fighter is powered by a Volvo RM12 turbofan engine; this is a derivative of the F404 engine of the American General Electric Company.
The JAS-39E variant is a bulked-up version of the Gripen and comes equipped with the more powerful General Electric F414 engine. The redesigned fuselage allows for 40% more fuel capacity. It accommodates additional weapon pylons as well. The company seems to have put a significant focus on data fusion with incoming information from the active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, electronic warfare systems, infrared search and track, and more advanced data links.
In terms of munitions, the warplane assures air-to-air superiority with METEOR, AMRAAM, IRIS-T, AIM-9 missile capabilities. Meanwhile, the latest generation of precision weapons and targeting sensors ensure a superior air-to-surface capability.
Indian Air Force (IAF)'s Lack of Interest In Gripen Due To Its Drawbacks
Although the Gripen-E is very appealing in terms of its advanced electronic warfare capability, integration of strong missiles, reduced-radar cross-section, and low operating cost, the jet still seems to be losing out to its competitors on two rather important fronts – political clout and economic backing. The competitors of Gripen — Dassault Rafale, Lockheed Martin F-35 JSF, and Eurofighter Typhoon — come with the diplomatic backing of France, the US, and several European countries, respectively.
The strengthening of diplomatic ties through military deals with these countries, most of whom hold significant positions at international forums such as the United Nations Security Council, European Union, North-Atlantic Treaty Organisation, etc. is beneficial to customer nations.
There is a special thing that when the Indian Air Force buys any weapon, it will become the brand ambassador of that weapon. The world has seen a huge market for the world’s 4th largest air force and is looking to sell a variety of fighters to this force. Since India bought the Rafale fighter, they have helped this French fighter achieve much success in the export market. After India bought the Rafale, the UAE ordered the next 80 Rafales from France while more nations are planning to buy.
Saab also hopes to gain a larger international market share for Gripen through exports to the Indian Air Force. This is why the company is very active in offering JAS-39 to India. Although the performance of the Swedish fighter is good, the Indian Air Force basically did not buy it, mainly for the following reasons:
1. Saab Gripen JAS-39 fighter is yet to be tested in a war (air to air or air to ground roles) and it is similar to Indian fighter Tejas. India needs a fighter that can dominate skies of Pakistan & China both. Gripen can’t perform the roles like Rafael and doesn't have superior capabilities.
2. Sweden is a lightweight country in the Geopolitics and International Clout. If India buys more Rafale or Eurofighter then France, Germany and Britain respectively can help India on international forums and they have Veto and Economic power. Buying an American plane will give access to the F-35 fighter program and strengthen the image as an American Ally.
3. Sweden has sold many weapons to Pakistan and has acted like a pro-Pakistan country since August 5 when India dissolved the special status of Jammu & Kashmir by revoking article 370. India will never buy fighters from a country supporting Pakistan's propaganda and selling sophisticated aircrafts like AWACS. The Saab 2000 AEW&C airborne early warning and control aircraft is in operational use in Pakistan. The first customer for the Saab 2000 AEW&C, the Pakistan Fiza’ya (the Pakistan Air Force), placed the order with Saab, based in Stockholm, in June 2006. The first of four aircraft was rolled out in April 2008 and entered service in October 2009. The second aircraft was delivered to Pakistan in April 2010 to monitor Indian airspace.
4. Purchasing Rafale is more practical than Gripen. Rafale fighter comes with the various tactical technical feature and it makes more sense for the Indian Air Force to continue purchasing the Rafale fighter. As India has invested a lot of money in building the necessary infrastructure to operate the Rafale fighter, the purchase of advanced F4 Rafale variant will be the best decision.
5. Continuing to purchase a new batch of Rafale does not require much investment, because pilots, technicians as well as ground navigation of the Indian Air Force, have been trained to use Rafale; and it will be easier to support the logistics, and of course the price is also cheaper.
6. Indigenous LCA Tejas and Gripen are both light fighters. Both types use US made General Electric’s F404 engine, so essentially there is not too much of a difference, even the power of Tejas engine is more than the Gripen. Indian Air Force has already ordered 83 Tejas MK1A fighters.
7. Compared to Sweden’s JAS-39 fighter, Tejas MK1A is a relatively new platform, so more new technologies can be used, also Indian made aircraft used the most advanced Fly by wire system than any active fighter in the world. IAF can easily get the changes done in the current fighters to make it more advanced and get an edge over Pakistan and China due to home-grown technologies.
8. Furthermore, India is developing a new version in the form of Tejas MK2. Therefore, if the Indian Air Force needs a single engine fighter, then Tejas and future Tejas MK2 will fulfill all the needs, instead of JAS-39.
So, with these strong points, we can conclude that, India is unlikely to choose Gripen in its MMRCA 2.0 fighter aircraft project. Saab should look to other markets, not the Indian Air Force.
