JAS39 Gripen: The Ultimate Nordic Warbird

By the early 1980s, it became increasingly clear that the Saab 37 Viggen was reaching the limits of its performance envelope and that a new aircraft would have to be procured to fill its role. As a result, the Swedish government released a set of requirements, demanding that a replacement design mustn’t exceed the cost of a Viggen while drastically cutting its weight, while at the same time offering an increased payload. As the new aircraft was intended to perform a wide range of duties, the future aircraft received a matching designation: JAS, reflecting its air combat, strike and reconnaissance capabilities.

Official work on the project began in 1983 with Saab leading a joint venture of several Swedish defense equipment manufacturers. Receiving the name ‘Gripen’ at the start of development, the first prototype of the aircraft undertook its maiden flight in 1988. After ironing out some design flaws, the JAS39 Gripen entered mass production and was subsequently commissioned into service with the Swedish air force in 1994. Since its introduction, the Gripen also enjoyed some popularity with foreign operators, being selected by South Africa, Brazil, Thailand, Hungary and the Czech Republic as the successor to their outdated fighter fleets. Being a modern jet fighter and seeing continuous development since its introduction, the Gripen remains in service with all of these operators to this date.