JAS 39 Gripen E Fighter: The 1 Thing That Could Make It Obsolete

Sweden’s post-Cold War jet of choice is an export success, but the platform is not getting any younger. The JAS 39 Gripen may soon bow out as fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft emerge to command the skies.

The Gripen has been the backbone of the Swedish air force since the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended. The lightweight, relatively small single-engine jet is highly maneuverable and is noted for its low cost per flight hour, as well a design that prioritizes simplicity and ease of refit and maintenance.

Since the Gripen entered service in the early 1990s, it has filled a unique niche within the aerospace defense market. The Gripen stands for a common-sense approach to fighter-jet design.

However, one thing, and it boils down to one word, could make it obsolete: No stealth like the F-35. 

In the Beginning

The JAS 39 Gripen story began with Saab’s older Viggen and Draken fighter and interceptor airplanes. Based on a modified delta-wing design, those older jets met Sweden’s unique fighter requirements, including short take-off and landing distances, the ability to attack targets on the ground and in the air, and reconnaissance capabilities. But by the late Cold War, both platforms needed to be replaced.

Any successor jet had to suit Sweden’s unique force structure, one that relies heavily on conscripts to swell its ranks and deploys its fighter jets to small, widely dispersed air bases throughout the country. That arrangement was meant to prevent a knockout blow from the Soviet Union.

The most recent variant is the Gripen E. As the company explains, the newest Gripen has “10 hard points, offers the best in class weapons and pods from around the world; and has an unrivaled ease of stores integration.”

The Swedish firm adds that the JAS 39 Gripen E is able to “conduct air-to-air, air-to-surface and reconnaissance missions. Air supremacy is achieved with the carriage of up to seven Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missiles and two Within Visual Range IRIS-T missiles. Weapons like these, combined with the ability to use offensive and defensive means simultaneously, enables Gripen E to detect, engage and suppress or destroy targets effectively.”

While Sweden does not have any aircraft carriers in service, the firm produces a marinized version of the jet. Built to withstand corrosive at-sea environments, the jet is also strengthened to tackle the stresses of carrier landings and take-off.

Saab’s design has proven attractive in the export market. Countries including Brazil, the Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, have adopted Gripens in several different variants, either as their country’s primary fighter jet or as a lightweight trainer aircraft. Their purchases are strong evidence that Saab succeeded in producing a potent fighter package while also striking a careful balance between operational flexibility and performance—all at a reasonable price.

An Upgraded Future?

Since its introduction into Swedish service, the Gripen E has received a few upgrades. For example, the Swedes gave the Gripen E/F an upgraded engine: Volvo’s Reaktionsmotor 12 is a modified F404 engine from General Electric that offers better resistance to foreign object ingestion while also improving performance. The jet’s electronic warfare suite has also been upgraded—but despite the improvements, the Gripen is increasingly challenged by established and emerging platforms.

Though the JAS 39 Gripen E catered initially to countries looking for a more affordable, lightweight fighter that cannot secure access to higher-performance platforms like the F-35, that market is becoming smaller and smaller.

South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Industries would like to export their KF-21, a moderately stealthy fighter, in the near future. Though that jet carries its weapons externally, a decidedly non-stealthy design choice, KAI would like to improve the KF-21’s radar-absorbent coatings and carry weapons internally in the future.

Sweden JAS 39 Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

JAS 39 Gripen. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

JAS 39 Gripen. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

On the higher end of the spectrum is the Global Combat Air Programme, a tripartite effort to design and build a sixth-generation fighter. GCAP, which counts Italy’s Leonardo, the United Kingdom’s BAE Systems, and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, hopes to produce a viable alternative to the F-2s and Eurofighter Typhoons in their respective inventories. Rumor has it that Saudi Arabia would like to join GCAP.

What Happens Now for JAS 39 Gripen E

In a world in which stealthy alternatives are increasingly available, and as the United States, Europe, and China eye the next generation in aerospace technology, can the Gripen survive? Without the aid of more advanced aircraft, the JAS 39 Gripen E may have difficulty taking on more advanced jets.

But against other fourth-generation aircraft—the Gripen E’s contemporaries—it could continue to serve an important role.

About the Author: Caleb Larson 

Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.