Saab's Gripen E Joins The Next Generation Fighter War

By Dennis

Swedish defence and security company Saab has unveiled its next generation multi-role fighter aircraft, the Gripen E.

saab gripen e

The Gripen E 'Smart Fighter' is the latest fighter from the Swedish/Brazilian joint venture and will serve as an alternative to the F-35 Lightning II from Lockheed Martin.

The Gripen E is 15.2-metres long and has a wingspan of just 8.2-metres. The Gripen E might not be big but it can carry big loads of weapons with a maximum takeoff weight of 16,500 kilograms. The Gripen E has an operating ceiling of 16,500-metres.

The Gripen E uses a General Electric F414-GE-39E turbofan jet engine that produces 22,000 pounds of thrust and can propel the Gripen to a top speed of Mach 2(2,450 km/h). The engine on the Gripen E can be replaced in one hour while the turnaround time for the new fighter is just 10 minutes.

Gripen E is equipped with a highly integrated and sophisticated sensor suite including an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Infra Red Search and Track (IRST), Electronic Warfare (EW) suite, and datalink technology, which, when combined gives the pilot, and co-operating forces exactly the information needed at all times about each other and the enemy.

The first Gripen E fighters will enter the fleets of the Swedish and Brazilian Air Forces in 2019.

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Read more on: #off beat #saab
Article Published On: Monday, May 23, 2016, 11:08 [IST]
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