swedish aircraft giant

Swedish Aircraft Giant - The Gripen E is an affordable and affordable fighter, but manufacturer Saab is struggling to find customers.

Saab has unveiled the latest version of its high-tech Gripen fighter jet. But even if it's on par with its rivals, or even better in many ways, the new E will have to overcome serious political and economic hurdles to win sales.

Swedish Aircraft Giant

On May 18, the Swedish defense contractor unveiled the updated jet at a press conference at its Linköping plant. The company said it has contracts for about 100 aircraft with the Swedish and Brazilian air forces.

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"Let me be clear about what Saab is announcing here today," Ulf Nilsson, the company's head of aeronautics, announced triumphantly at the start of his remarks. "We are changing the way the Air Force thinks, flies and fights for decades to come."

Gripen E's impact will be felt for centuries, Nilsson detailed Saab's improvements to the nearly 30-year-old model. Compared to its predecessors, the Gripen E is faster, can fly farther, carries more fuel and weapons, and is loaded with advanced equipment.

Powered by the American-made General Electric F414G engine, the fighter can cruise at twice the speed of sound for extended periods of time. Almost 50 feet long, it can fly as high as 52,000 feet if needed. With a small forward-mounted canard wing and advanced flight computers, the Gripen is highly maneuverable in hand-to-hand combat and to avoid ground-launched anti-aircraft missiles.

The aircraft's powerful Italian ES-05 Raven radar is an active, electronically scanned type. Unlike older sensors, the Raven has dozens of tiny antennas that can quickly find and track multiple targets at once.

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To help combat stealthy enemies, the Gripen E has thermal sensors. A long-range camera can pick up stealthy aircraft hotspots that might be hard to find on a radar screen. Under the right conditions, the device can detect aircraft, helicopters, warships and vehicles on the ground.

The new planes have advanced electronic countermeasures to prevent enemy aircraft and surface-to-air missiles.

Described as an "intelligent fighter", high-tech radio and data links transmit critical information to the cockpit. Like smartphone apps, Saab says the software and hardware can be quickly customized to meet a user's specific needs.

Pilots can choose from an array of weapons loaded into 10 wing and fuselage rigid points after finding them through the onboard system. Saab is touting its ability to customize the Gripen E for a variety of missiles, bombs, targeting and reconnaissance pods and other payloads from around the world.

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The Gripen, shown on stage at a press conference in May, carried long- and short-range air-to-air missiles, including five MBDA missiles. European manufacturer Saab is using the jet as a key testbed for the weapon, which it says can fly four times the speed of sound and hit targets up to 290 miles away.

For ground targets, the Saab was shown carrying eight small-diameter GPS-guided bombs. Inside the plane is a German 27 mm gun.

"In this business, we hear a lot of rhetoric about small steps or no progress at all," Nilsson said at the start of his presentation. Lockheed's joint F-35 fighter jet. "This [Gripen E] is the only fighter program that is on time and on budget," he added.

With these specifications, the Gripen E is an alternative to Western models such as the latest versions of the US F-16 and F-18, the French Rafale and the Anglo-German-Italian Eurofighter. It's a lot cheaper than Lockheed's F-35, it's a lot of fun to fly, and most importantly, it's usable.

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According to Saab, the fighter is a realistic opponent to modern models such as the Russian Su-27 family and the Chinese J-11 clone. Nilsson said decades of facing "one of the most advanced adversaries," a clear reference to the Kremlin's military, is reflected in the Gripen E's overall design.

Unfortunately, Nilsson's confidence cannot overcome the very real and significant hurdles the Gripen E will face in the open market. And after building more than half a century of fighter jets, Saab is well aware of these issues.

In the 1960s, the Swedish firm had moderate success selling its Draken fighter jets to Austria, Denmark and Finland. In the 1970s, Saab found no takers for its new Viggen. All Draken operators eventually replaced the aircraft with F-16s and F-18s.

Since its first flight in 1988, the Gripen has competed with a wide variety of similar aircraft. The Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa and Thailand have chosen Gripens for their air forces. But Saab was unable to sign as many contracts.

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The Swedish company had planned to partner with local industrial giant Tata Group, but India opted for the French Rafale in 2011 over the Gripen.

In each of these cases, Gripen's biggest problem isn't about the aircraft's capabilities, or even its price. The main issues are related

In most cases, this requires countries to sign any final agreement. Not only that, but the US-made engine is at the heart of the Gripen's design. The United States has historically been reluctant to effectively help foreign companies compete with American defense contractors.

While Saab designed the aircraft to easily replace radars, radios and other equipment, the company has few options when it comes to engines. European turbine makers, already benefiting from rival fighter jet sales, are unlikely to rush to offer their services.

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In addition, the United States, Russia, and China often offer their friends large military aid packages that benefit local companies. Even with all the Swedish government duties behind it, Saab will have trouble getting anything

Despite Nilsson's F-35 strike force, about 10 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia are planning to buy the American stealth fighter.

Influenza. Canada plans to reconsider its decision to buy the F-35, but Ottawa has said it will consider the joint strike fighter.

Concerned that the stealth aircraft upset the balance of power in certain regions, the Pentagon was more than happy to try to get other countries to buy the upgraded F-15, F-16, and F-18. Moscow, Beijing and various European countries are pushing their products in unison.

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There is one customer to buy the latest Gripen - Brazil. Brazil plans to buy about 30 Gripen Es, along with about 10 similar two-seat Gripen Fs. "[It's] an important event in the history of both countries." Brig Gen. Nivaldo Luis Rosato, a top Brazilian air force officer invited by Saab to speak at the press conference, said through an interpreter.

Rosato declined to mention the country's sharp political turmoil. On May 12, Brazilian senators began impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff and voted to appoint Vice President Michel Temer to lead until the trial. Brazilian authorities are also investigating his predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on corruption charges.

It's unclear what this means for Gripen E flagship sales. Whatever happens, Brazilian pilots don't expect to receive the fighter until 2019.

Elsewhere, the Swedish firm continues to struggle to break into major markets. In 2015, after India canceled its French Rafales contract, Saab offered New Delhi another partnership to try to renegotiate the deal.

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Indian officials, struggling to launch their home-grown fighter jets, are undecided on whether to buy the Swedish aircraft. The Pentagon plans to increase cooperation with South Asia's largest democracy, including co-production of the C-130 transport aircraft, which could change plans.

"With the Gripen, you get a lot more," emphasizes Nilsson. “Cooperation in industry has always been part of Saab's strategy. We don't see it as a threat.

Unfortunately for Saab and its well-designed fighter jets, other companies in the high-tech military combat aircraft market, incl

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