The Swedish Saab Gripen looks poised for a resurgence after suffering multiple losses against the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter. After the breakthrough deal with Thailand, another country appears ready to order the Swedish fighters.
Citing anonymous sources, Swedish public radio SR’s Ekot news broadcast reported on November 5 that Colombia has decided to purchase a fleet of JAS Gripen fighter aircraft manufactured by Sweden’s Saab.
As the news broke out, Saab’s shares registered a significant uptick. However, neither the Colombian government nor Saab confirmed the reports.
Speaking at a press conference, Colombia’s Defence Minister Ivan Velasquez said, “There’s still nothing definitive. There are many rumors, and there’s no statement from the government.” He assured the reporters that once the Colombian president has made a decision, it will be communicated.
The minister’s statement indicates that the talks for Gripen-E’s acquisition are likely underway.
Saab commented on the story: ”We have taken note of the information in the media but cannot comment further at this time. We have previously had a dialogue with Colombia regarding the sale of Gripen, but there is currently no contract.”
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Notably, the broadcaster’s report stated that the Gripen fighter jets will replace the Israel-origin Kfir fighters. There are less than 20 Kfir jets in the Colombian Air Force. However, there is currently no information on the number of fighters the Latin American country would want to acquire.
After being elected in 2022, Colombian President Gustavo Petro focused on replacing the country’s aging air fleet with modern, advanced fighter jets.
However, the Colombian Defense Minister revealed in early 2023 that talks were initiated with Saab and Dassault in 2022 to acquire a modern, cutting-edge combat aircraft, but they eventually fell through. He did not reveal why the talks collapsed.
Although the reports pertaining to Colombia’s purchase of the Gripen-E are not confirmed yet, they nevertheless point towards a resurgence of the aircraft, which struggled to find buyers for a decade.
Gripens Making A Comeback
After selling 36 Gripen-E/F fighter jets to Brazil in 2014, Saab faced many disappointments and a waning global presence as rivals like the F-35 and Rafale continued to dominate the market.
Saab Gripen remained under the shadows of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II for several years. The Swedish aircraft failed to take off in the export market because several countries where it was a bidder chose the stealthy F-35 Lightning II jet instead.
This trend became evident as countries like Finland, Switzerland, Canada, and the Czech Republic, among others, opted for the F-35 over the Saab Gripen to replace their aging fighter jets.
In 2022, frustration reached a crescendo when Saab’s president and CEO, Micael Johansson, voiced shock at Gripen’s continued failure to achieve export success. In fact, at one point, Saab went so far as to attribute the success of the F-35 to the political influence enjoyed by the United States.
Even though the Gripen was positioned as a cost-effective aircraft with novel technology, European customers opted for stealth and interoperability with other allies within the NATO Alliance.
The Gripen-E doesn’t incorporate stealth design characteristics. Saab argued that this was a strategic decision because the speed at which hardware and software technologies are developing would increase the radar signature of any stealth aircraft.
After a long dry spell and dejection, the Gripen finally appears poised to make a resurgence. The year started on a high for Saab, as reports in May suggested that Hungary had entered talks with Sweden to add the Gripen-E combat aircraft to its current fleet of Gripen C/Ds.
Following this, Saab set its sights on the Thai fighter jet contract, where it competed against Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft. After a tight battle, the Gripen-E finally emerged victorious.
Since Saab had been unsuccessfully trying to find possible buyers for its front-line fighters, Thailand’s decision breathed fresh life into the Gripen-E aircraft. It was also a rare instance of Saab beating Lockheed Martin in a contract.
Saab describes the Gripen-E as “Designed to defeat any adversary. Made for forward-thinking air forces, Gripen E incorporates cutting-edge technologies, the latest systems, sensors, weapons, and pods to ensure combat advantage, delivering air superiority in highly contested environments. Silent networking and total sensor fusion across a tactical air unit to blind and confuse the enemy.”
According to Saab, the Gripen-E’s ability to launch the first missile and land the first kill will alter the nature of combat. Saab claims that the ability to swiftly integrate new hardware and update software to satisfy evolving mission requirements makes their design groundbreaking. Moreover, the Gripen is designed for quick field deployment, especially at remote bases, and only a few people can effectively maintain it.
The fighter jet features ten hardpoints on the airframe that carry weapons, ordnance, and support equipment like flares and countermeasures, targeting pods, or drop tanks—more noticeable air intakes, and an upgraded General Electric F414-GE-39E engine. It can carry up to seven Meteor missiles and Taurus attack missiles for air-to-ground missions.
Besides Thailand, Saab has pitched the Gripen to another Southeast Asian country: the Philippines. Much like the Thai contract, the Saab Gripen-E is the leading contender, along with the F-16 Block 70/72 for the Philippines Air Force (PAF) contract. Saab is making intense efforts to woo the Southeast Asian country, as it showed a full-size mock-up of its Gripen E/F at the Asian Defense and Security Exhibition (ADAS) 2024 held in Manila in September.
Saab has also pitched its Gripen-E/F to two Latin American countries: Argentina and Peru. While Argentina decided to buy the decommissioned Danish F-16s over the brand-new Gripen earlier this year, Peru confirmed last month that it is evaluating the fighter jets on offer, including the Lockheed Martin F-16 and Dassault Rafale.
The Swedish manufacturer is also deeply invested in India’s Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) contract, which may be opened soon. The new Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, recently made a strong case for MRFA, as reported by the EurAsian Times.
In an enticing bid, Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab promises to deliver the first Gripen E/F within three years if the deal is approved. Saab Campaign Director and Head of Gripen for India Programme (Business Area Aeronautics), Kent-Ake Molin, asserted that the Swedish company was already looking into manufacturing options in India to service domestic and international markets with full technology transfer.
“We foresee that we can set up full-scale production in India, which will include everything, not just airframe, but also systems and software. We have a plan to indigenise the platform rapidly. We have had favorable discussions with a host of private partners who will support us in our indigenization efforts.”
The IAF issued a Request for Information in 2018 to acquire 114 fighter jets under MRFA, but there has been no forward movement for the last six years. Needless to say, if India selects the Gripen, it would turn around the fortunes of the Swedish aircraft.
However, if Colombia announces an agreement for the purchase before the end of this year, it would be Saab’s second contract for the Gripen in a year—as opposed to none in the last ten years. The aircraft could finally be well on its way to a grand comeback.
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