The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is reportedly set to test a Swedish SAAB Gripen fighter jet’s highway take-off and landing capabilities, a critical step in its evaluation process.
A high-ranking RTAF source revealed the plan to a local newspaper on January 12, noting that this marks the first such test for the Air Force. The tests are reportedly scheduled for February.
According to the manufacturer, SAAB, the Gripen is built to take off and land on standard roads measuring 800 meters in length and 16 meters in width. This feature is designed for scenarios where military airfields may be destroyed during conflicts.
Saab has already demonstrated this capability with the Swedish Air Force, successfully landing a Gripen on a 500-meter stretch of road and taking off using just 400 meters.
The RTAF considers proving this capability essential to its decision to replace its aging fleet of F-16A/B aircraft with the more advanced Gripen jets.
Meanwhile, on January 11, Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai expressed support for the RTAF’s plan to acquire a fleet of Gripen jets. He said the RTAF was best placed to decide which aircraft would meet its requirements.
“I have instructed the RTAF to carefully select the most effective fighter jets to enhance its capabilities,” Phumtham said. He also mentioned ongoing discussions with Saab about technology transfer and other benefits associated with the potential acquisition.
The decision to move forward with the purchase of a Gripen fleet was announced last year after facing numerous delays. These delays were largely attributed to budget constraints imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2024, the RTAF formed panels to finalize its review of bids from Saab and Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-16.
While the US government proposed a low-interest loan to encourage the purchase of American-made aircraft, the RTAF ultimately decided in Gripen’s favor.
Why The Gripen Won’t Fail This Test?
For the Gripen, passing the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) test should not be challenging, as the Swedish aircraft was designed to support dispersed operations.
This design philosophy of the Gripen fighter jet aligns with Sweden’s long-standing military strategy, which incorporates an extensive network of roads that also serve as military runways.
Alongside the highway landing strips, Sweden’s ingenious system incorporated a network of shorter, interconnected roads specifically designed for taxiing, facilitating access to various aircraft parking areas.
Stockholm has honed such operations since the Cold War, when neutral Sweden, fearing the loss of its airpower to the Soviet forces and their Warsaw Pact allies, regarded the continuous relocation of its fighter jets and other aircraft between military bases and roads as a critical survival strategy.
Col. Carl Bergqvist, a fighter pilot and the Head of the Planning Department at the Swedish Air Force, previously said, “The idea was to move the planes around faster than the Soviets could do surveillance of them.”
“The air force constantly used different parking spots so the Soviets wouldn’t know where the planes were,” Bergqvist added.
The US Air Force has also acknowledged Sweden’s expertise in dispersed fighter jet operations. In September 2022, the US Air Force in Europe (USAFE) admitted that the Swedish Air Force has mastered Agile Combat Employment (ACE) better than any other air force in the world.
These strategies also influenced the design of Swedish fighter jets. Even Gripen’s predecessors, the Draken and Viggen, were designed to be maintained by agile crews, typically consisting of just one officer and a small group of conscripts.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sweden’s expertise in dispersed fighter jet operations began to attract widespread attention. Many military experts now consider these tactics crucial for NATO to effectively counter Russia’s growing threat.
With Sweden now a member of NATO, its allies within the alliance can tap into the country’s decades of experience in rapidly relocating and operating aircraft in unconventional environments.
It would be fair to say that among modern fighter jets, the Gripen stands out as the most capable when it comes to operating effectively from highways.
According to the Saab, Gripen, with its Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) capabilities, is designed to take off from regular roads that are just 16 meters wide and 500 meters long, while it can also land on a road as short as 600 meters.
This capability allows it to operate from taxiways, small civil airfields, or highways. The fighter is equipped with canards, which generate additional lift at slower speeds during landing and help increase its angle of attack.
After the Gripen touches down, it must be brought to a quick halt to ensure safety and readiness for further operations. The aircraft’s predecessor, the SAAB 37 Viggen, employed a thrust reverser system to slow down and stop the plane.
However, for the Gripen, SAAB abandoned the thrust reverser and instead implemented a system using the canard and wheel brakes.
Eddy de la Motte, head of the SAAB Gripen E/F business unit, explained that the combination of canards and wing rudders generates aerodynamic downforce, thereby improving brake efficiency.
This system is comparable to the techniques used in high-performance motorsports like Formula 1 or NASCAR, where aerodynamic forces are harnessed to boost vehicle control.
In addition to the aircraft’s operational flexibility, SAAB has also redefined the maintenance and servicing process. Rather than relying on fixed repair depots, mobile maintenance crews equipped with vans and military trucks are used to deliver fuel, munitions, and spare parts directly to the aircraft’s location in the field.
This streamlined approach reduces turnaround times. SAAB claims that refueling, rearming, and tasks such as reloading the gun and attaching air-to-air missiles can be completed in under 10 minutes with only one technician and five conscript mechanics.
This efficiency is a key component of the Gripen’s ability to operate in rapidly changing and resource-constrained environments.
The entire maintenance setup for the Gripen is compact enough to fit inside a single small shipping container. This also makes it highly portable and efficient for rapid deployment.
Moreover, the aircraft’s maintenance areas are designed for easy access, with push-button latches that allow for quick opening and closing of access panels.
The service panel and refueling hatch are located in the same area to further minimize downtime. This setup minimizes the need for crew members to move around the aircraft while performing maintenance tasks.
According to Mikael Olsson, head of flight testing for SAAB and a former Viggen pilot, the design was specifically tailored for ease of use by conscripts with minimal training.
“It was a must that it was easy for a conscript with only one year of training and education,” Olsson explained. “For example, changing an engine in the woods or on the bases, the requirement was that you should be able to do that in an hour.”
The Gripen engine can be removed from the airframe easily, and it only requires the removal of a few bolts, disconnecting fuel and hydraulic lines, and detaching the gearbox.
The engine can then be lowered using hand-cranked winches, similar to fishing rod mechanisms. This same tool is also versatile enough to load missiles onto the aircraft’s pylons.
Once refueling and rearming are completed, the ground crew quickly disperses into forest encampments. Personnel and equipment are kept near the runways for only a brief period to ensure they can evade detection and minimize the risk of being targeted in the event of an attack.
This approach improves the safety and survival of the aircraft and its support team in high-risk environments.
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