Saab F-39A Griffin (JAS 39A Gripen)
Though the Saab 37 Viggen was proving a success, with typical foresight, Sweden requested design work to be begun on its replacement as early as 1979; this aircraft, referred to as the “JAKT” (a Swedish contraction for a multirole fighter) would replace both the Viggen and the earlier Saab 35 Draken, which was still in service as an interceptor. Design work began in 1982, with the name “Gripen” (Griffin) chosen by the Swedish public in the same year, along with the designation JAS 39.
Unlike the Viggen, which had four separate versions to fufill attack, air defense, antishipping, and reconnaissance roles, the Gripen was to combine them into a single airframe. Like the Viggen, Saab had been given a demanding task to produce a multirole fighter that would still retain the Viggen’s ability to operate away from airfields for a protracted amount of time.
Saab settled on a close-coupled delta/canard design, similar to the Viggen’s, but with far more streamlining, with a deliberately aerodynamically unstable airframe controlled through fly-by-wire. One complaint of the Viggen was its poor visibility to the rear, and so the Gripen had an F-16 style bubble canopy. Like the Viggen, it used a Volvo-license built American engine, the General Electric F404 that powered the F-18. The PS-05/A radar was based on the successful Blue Vixen radar used in the Sea Harrier, and was designed from the start to be AMRAAM compatible. To meet the requirement of short-field landing, the Gripen did not share the thrust reverser of the Viggen: instead, large speedbrakes were placed on the rear of the aircraft and combined with a robust brake system, along with the ability to tilt the canards directly downwards, turning them into giant spoilers. The Gripen can actually stop in less time than the Viggen; tests at Saab estimate that the Gripen is actually capable of landing on a carrier without an arrestor hook.
Cost overruns and delays led to the JAS 39’s first flight being delayed until April 1987, with service entry in the Flygvapnet beginning in 1988. It instantly replaced the Draken, though the Viggen would be gradually phased out over a nearly 20-year period until 2007. Unlike earlier efforts, where Sweden’s traditional neutrality had hamstrung Saab’s attempt to export their aircraft, the Gripen was aggressively marketed, with Saab teaming up with British Aerospace. This would eventually win sales to five nations. Today, Saab is marketing the advanced Gripen New Generation, which would update the aircraft considerably with new avionics, heavier warload and longer range, and the uprated F414G engine, allowing the Gripen to supercruise past Mach 1 without use of an afterburner. The JAS 39 today is Sweden’s sole combat aircraft, and a very popular one.
Since my fictional air force used Viggens, it was natural for them to adopt the Gripen (I'm a sucker for Eurocanard designs anyhow). I used the Revell 1/144 scale kit, which turned out very nice for its small size (it's smaller than a F-16). Having seen the camouflage applied to South African Mirage F.1AZs, I used that--green and brown over light gray. It's armed with two drop tanks, two AGM-65 Mavericks, and two AIM-9L Sidewinders.
Saab F-39A Griffin (JAS 39A Gripen)
Though the Saab 37 Viggen was proving a success, with typical foresight, Sweden requested design work to be begun on its replacement as early as 1979; this aircraft, referred to as the “JAKT” (a Swedish contraction for a multirole fighter) would replace both the Viggen and the earlier Saab 35 Draken, which was still in service as an interceptor. Design work began in 1982, with the name “Gripen” (Griffin) chosen by the Swedish public in the same year, along with the designation JAS 39.
Unlike the Viggen, which had four separate versions to fufill attack, air defense, antishipping, and reconnaissance roles, the Gripen was to combine them into a single airframe. Like the Viggen, Saab had been given a demanding task to produce a multirole fighter that would still retain the Viggen’s ability to operate away from airfields for a protracted amount of time.
Saab settled on a close-coupled delta/canard design, similar to the Viggen’s, but with far more streamlining, with a deliberately aerodynamically unstable airframe controlled through fly-by-wire. One complaint of the Viggen was its poor visibility to the rear, and so the Gripen had an F-16 style bubble canopy. Like the Viggen, it used a Volvo-license built American engine, the General Electric F404 that powered the F-18. The PS-05/A radar was based on the successful Blue Vixen radar used in the Sea Harrier, and was designed from the start to be AMRAAM compatible. To meet the requirement of short-field landing, the Gripen did not share the thrust reverser of the Viggen: instead, large speedbrakes were placed on the rear of the aircraft and combined with a robust brake system, along with the ability to tilt the canards directly downwards, turning them into giant spoilers. The Gripen can actually stop in less time than the Viggen; tests at Saab estimate that the Gripen is actually capable of landing on a carrier without an arrestor hook.
Cost overruns and delays led to the JAS 39’s first flight being delayed until April 1987, with service entry in the Flygvapnet beginning in 1988. It instantly replaced the Draken, though the Viggen would be gradually phased out over a nearly 20-year period until 2007. Unlike earlier efforts, where Sweden’s traditional neutrality had hamstrung Saab’s attempt to export their aircraft, the Gripen was aggressively marketed, with Saab teaming up with British Aerospace. This would eventually win sales to five nations. Today, Saab is marketing the advanced Gripen New Generation, which would update the aircraft considerably with new avionics, heavier warload and longer range, and the uprated F414G engine, allowing the Gripen to supercruise past Mach 1 without use of an afterburner. The JAS 39 today is Sweden’s sole combat aircraft, and a very popular one.
Since my fictional air force used Viggens, it was natural for them to adopt the Gripen (I'm a sucker for Eurocanard designs anyhow). I used the Revell 1/144 scale kit, which turned out very nice for its small size (it's smaller than a F-16). Having seen the camouflage applied to South African Mirage F.1AZs, I used that--green and brown over light gray. It's armed with two drop tanks, two AGM-65 Mavericks, and two AIM-9L Sidewinders.