Another set of great observations by TomcatVip & Hopsalot, thanx, my votes are fun 4/5, content 0/5.

The highlighted area above is the MultiFunctional Antenna GaN AESA to be used as RWR, directional data links and possibly (?) active radar, the latest is just out of a drawing from a SAAB presentation.

Is directional GaN EW suite & directional datalinks 6 gen? Perhaps since some of it obviously isn’t present in “5”gen. Perhaps 6gen is not determinated by the airframe but rather what’s on the inside of an available flying aircraft?

@production facilities,

My whole point is actually that you build the first aircraft in a very different way to compared to setting up a production line for a BOEING 787, and yes I presume that they have problems too, sure there are lots of things even in the production line that has to be changed, actually that’s what test aircraft are for.

General and what appears to be moderately qualified and extraordinary negative statements on manufacturing might add a bit to the fun but not to the know how of this thread.

Previous statements on position of rivets for example, you can be pretty sure that there are exact tolerances for what can be accepted. I would look forward to something like rivet positioning, welding type or influence of resonance, that would be a contribution.

In recent Ukrainian conflict it seems that the Russian backed rebels prevented Ukrainian AF from making any difference at the battlefield. It was(is?) small drones, artillery and tanks that ruled the battlefield rather than expensive fighter jets.

M’sia probably cut a deal with China since their conflicting interests at Spratley never appear to be a problem
Taiwan & China after all claim the lands for “same” country, history wise Taiwan has been on Chinese side in this
No one cares to protect Vietnam at Woody or other places
So, my understanding that its all down to Philippines (USA) vs China,

I hope you are right on F-35, after a good nights sleep a noticed an error.. the estimated Gripen price tag above also would include 20yrs of increased operating cost when going from from C to E.

So many assumptions to tilt this calculation, we will not know if total ownership cost of Gripen E is 70% or 50% cheaper than F35, but we do know that the difference is very, very significant.

@spitfire9 How might drones boost the aerial power of multi-purpose fighter jets?
Drones as advanced scouts ahead of 2 seat 4,5 gens, get the flexibility of these and for the drones a couple of magnitudes lower RCS compared to “5 gens”

@Broccoli
Gripen C/D’s wasn’t good enough vs Hornets.. Gripen C/D wasn’t operational until 2002, probably it was just a vague concept when Finland decided.
The question you ask will yield you the answer you wish too

The Gripen C/D MS 20 with HMD/IRST and EW/multishipdatalink/Meteor/ LO is likely to score an exchange ratio between 1:5 or 1:100 against Hornet, however it can never carry the loads of the Hornet.

Costs.. Sweden 90 Billion SEK for purchase and operation of 60 Gripen E, Norway 264 Billion NOK for 48 JSF in Norway, lots to be said about this but even suggesting that JSF has a lower cost of ownership is just ridiculous.

@newbuilt C/D’s ?!
More expensive engine and airframe, cheaper & less capable avionics compared to E’s. Rush for the 30 something old A’s and upgrade for a really cost effective deal !!

@ fighter mix,
FA/50 and Gripen is pretty much in the same class as F117 and F35, its a laughable comparison. However I must admit that given the budget constrain 12 F35 and a few squadrons of FA/50 is a really strong alternative to Gripen :(.

@siddar, get back to your board games!
The power and wealth of the west is and has been built on free trade, I’m sure US government is very happy that they export high tech components. I do not think that SAAB or Boeing care on what side of the border a great product is made as long as it can contribute to their own product.