Looks like the Swedes might be hit too..
Gripen squadrons face Swedish budget axe
by Chris Pocock and Charles Gilson
Only four operational squadrons of Saab Gripen fighters may remain in Swedish air force service after a major defense review is concluded later this year. The bad news was revealed at an eve-of-show briefing in London by Swedish air force Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Jan Andersson.
He explained that the Swedish armed forces had offered four different force structure options to the government. the one that contains a SEK 3 billion ($406 million) annual cut in the defense budget appeared to be the most favored by the government. It would, however, result in the four-squadron fighter force. The Flygvapnet was planning to operate eight squadrons of the fourth-generation fighter jet, already down from the 12 originally envisioned. There will also be a large training unit, but the total number of aircraft in service would likely be only 128 if the cuts go through.
This compares to the total of 204 Gripens already funded, of which 142 have been delivered to date. The vast majority of these are JAS 39 Gripen A/Bs, although deliveries of the considerably upgraded single-seat Gripen C have been under way for nearly a year and the prototype two-seat Gripen D flew for the first time on June 2 this year. The balance of Swedish air force aircraft will not be cancelled, however. Even though some of these are already earmarked for lease or lease-purchase export customers like the Czech Republic and Hungary, each of which has signed up for 14 aircraft, they will be replaced in production to make up the 204 total.
The Swedish air force is meanwhile getting heavily involved in training for Gripen export customers, especially the Czech air force which is due to receive its first batch of aircraft in spring 2005. If the cuts go through, it can be expected that the training unit and remaining operational units will be equipped only with Gripen Cs and Ds. They are built essentially to the same standard as export aircraft, implying that the As and Bs would be retired and either stored or made available for modification, upgrades and eventual export to countries not necessarily requiring the levels of NATO interoperability built into current production aircraft.
General Andersson is now seeking to increase interoperability further, adding new IFF systems and the NATO Link 16 datalink to the entire Gripen force, for example. Other items on the ongoing technology insertion list include the Litening 3 designator pod and laser-guided weapons, due to become operational in 2006; the IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile, due for integration in 2006-2007 along with the helmet-mounted display; a computer upgrade in 2007; and integration of the Meteor medium-range air-to-air missile in 2010. Integration or acquisition of the Taurus 350 missile, however, has been pushed back to 2014 and may not happen at all. “Maybe we will only buy it if we need the SEAD [suppression of enemy air defenses] mission, said General Andersson.
In addressing continuing export campaigns, Gripen International sales and marketing director Bob Kemp yesterday pointed to potential repeat orders from Hungary and the Czech Republic that would take their totals up to 24 and 28, respectively, and allow all MiG-29s to be phased out before 2010. Bulgaria, Slovakia and Romania also all have plans to replace MiG-29s in the same sort of time frame, with Bulgaria at least looking for an in-service date of 2007 for the first of 12 to 20 aircraft. The Romanian requirement could eventually be for more than 40.
Also around 2010, Switzerland will be seeking 20 to 30 F-5 replacements and Kemp sees useful commonality between the Gripen’s engine and weapons fit, for example, and those of the country’s F/A-18 Hornets. At the same time he believes there is potential for a repeat purchase by South Africa in the context of efforts to share resources in increasing regional stability.
-ends-
Sign In
