Ukraine also wants Gripen
Sweden is considering sending JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, according to a new report, as Kiev continues to push Western nations for advanced aircraft and accelerated training from the US and its European partners.
The JAS 39 Gripen in the middle, followed by the US F-15 and F-16. Photo: The Aviation
Western-made fighter jets have long been at the top of Ukraine’s wish list for NATO aid. While Washington recently gave the green light for F-16 owners to transfer the US-made jets to Ukraine, Kiev is also keen on another powerful fighter: the Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter.
Ukraine believes these fighters could give its air force – currently made up of Soviet-era warplanes – a much-needed boost in the skies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Sweden more than a week ago and asked Stockholm to help Kiev with some of his country's Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets. The Swedish government also plans to consider sending JAS 39 Gripens to Ukraine, according to Swedish state radio.
The most important thing for Sweden is to assess how the delivery of the JAS Gripens might affect the country's defense readiness, and how quickly new aircraft can be built to replace those delivered to Kiev.
Suitability for asymmetric warfare
The JAS 39 Gripen is a single-engine supersonic light multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company SAAB. The Gripen, (English: Griffin, Greek: Gryphon) in Western culture is a mythical creature with the body, tail and hind legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle and the eagle's talons on its forelegs.
But the name “Griffon” alone does not make the JAS 39 Gripen a fearsome monster in the sky. The JAS Gripen was designed with the idea of fighting against powerful air forces that Sweden might have to fight without NATO support. Therefore, this aircraft is considered by experts to be especially suitable for asymmetric warfare.
The first advantage of the JAS 39 Gripen is that it is extremely agile. With a low-drag design, it flies faster, has a longer range and can carry a larger payload. The combination of delta wings and canards gives the JAS 39 Gripen better flight characteristics and take-off and landing capabilities than many 4+ generation fighters.
The advanced avionics systems of a technological powerhouse like Sweden integrated into the JAS 39 Gripen make it a “programmable” aircraft. The “Griffon” also has an electronic warfare pod installed, allowing it to carry more weapons on its external fuselage, including advanced air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles and smart bombs without sacrificing its self-defense capabilities.
Easy to maintain and compatible with Ukrainian Air Force
But the biggest advantage of the JAS 39 Gripen is that it has low operating costs, requires little runway space for takeoff and landing, can operate in rough, harsh locations and is easy to maintain. These “Griffons” only need an 800-meter runway and can be ready for takeoff in less than 15 minutes.
A fully armed JAS 39 Gripen. Photo: Military Review
“It is worth noting that among the existing Western fighter jets that could be supplied to Ukraine, the Swedish Saab Gripen C/D is by far the most suitable candidate in terms of operational requirements,” said experts at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
"Conceptually, the Swedish air force has always emphasized low-level air superiority tactics from dispersed bases, in a similar way to how the Ukrainian air force currently operates, and therefore the Gripen is designed with ground support equipment and maintenance requirements compatible with that approach," RUSI experts wrote.
Despite this suitability, military experts say that even if Stockholm agrees to send the JAS 39 Gripen to Ukraine, it will still take some time to consider the transfer and then train pilots for Kiev. Therefore, these fighters, even if delivered this year, will not be able to take to the battlefield until mid-2024 at the earliest.
JAS 39 GRIPEN SPECIFICATIONS
+ Crew: 1 person with JAS 39C / 2 people with JAS 39D
+ Length: 14.9 m with JAS 39C / 15.6 m with JAS 39D
+ Wingspan: 8.4 m
+ Height: 4.5 m
+ Wing area: 30 m2
+ Empty weight: 6,800 kg
+ Maximum takeoff weight: 14,000 kg
+ Fuel capacity: 3,000 liters in the compartment and 3,500 liters in 2 auxiliary fuel tanks
+ Weapon load: 5,300 kg
+ Engine: 1 × Volvo RM12 with secondary combustion chamber
+ Maximum speed: Mach 2 (2,100 km/h)
+ Combat radius: 800 km
+ Flight range: 3,200 km
+ Flight ceiling: 15,240 m
+ Take-off distance: 4.00 m
+ Landing distance: 500 m
EQUIPPED WEAPONS
+ 1 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon with 120 rounds (only available in 1-seat version)
+ 8 suspension points with a load capacity of 5,300 kg, can mount the following weapons:
6 IRIS-T (Rb.98) or AIM-9 Sidewinder (Rb.74) or A-Darter air-to-air missiles
4 MBDA Meteor (Rb.101), AIM-120 AMRAAM (Rb.99) or MBDA MICA air-to-air missiles
4 AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles
2 KEPD.350 cruise missiles with a range of 500 km
2 RBS-15F anti-ship missiles with a range of 100 km
4 GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs
8 Mark 82 conventional bombs
16 GBU-39 precision guided glide bombs
Quang Anh
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