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By: - 5th July 2018 at 13:52 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Ah you beat me to it.
Great news and certainly something which could prove very good for both countries.
By: - 5th July 2018 at 18:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Not to break the ambiance, but i spoke one year ago with Sweden Chief of staff and SAAB representatives at swaf fans meeting (can't go this year, in England :( ). Saab did not think about any fiture plane as Gripen is not yet operational.
By: - 5th July 2018 at 18:36 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There was a similar sentiment around Rafale until recently :D.
Unless the Swedish plan to keep the E in service beyond 2040, and aren't interested in the sort of systems the UK are looking at, I think there is something to it.
UK interest in networked fighter UCAV fleets is in line with Swedish thinking too.
It also promises greater workshare than the French and Germans will offer.
By: - 5th July 2018 at 18:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Not to break the ambiance, but i spoke one year ago with Sweden Chief of staff and SAAB representatives at swaf fans meeting (can't go this year, in England ). Saab did not think about any fiture plane as Gripen is not yet operational.
Wrong. There have been loads of articles from Saab here in the Swedish press about the future. Saab is thinking heavily about what will come after Gripen and which project and studies they now will have take part in for being relevant. Both the UK and the Franco/German project have been talked about and Håkan Buskhe have said that he speaks with he's european colleuges about these things very often.
Both Saab and SWAF is aware that Gripen E is only artificial breathing until a new generation can come to life, even if they will never admit this officialy.
It also promises greater workshare than the French and Germans will offer.
This is my thinking also. France have now been giving the leading roll it wanted for so long, no way they are going to let the UK in on a top level. The Franco/German thing will without doubt be a Thales and Safran creation.
By: - 5th July 2018 at 19:44 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Not to break the ambiance, but i spoke one year ago with Sweden Chief of staff and SAAB representatives at swaf fans meeting (can't go this year, in England :( ). Saab did not think about any fiture plane as Gripen is not yet operational.
SAAB has been working on a follow on capability for the best part of a decade, thats pretty much public.
The Flygvapnet fields six front line sqns, ordered sixty "E" with a possible follow on order of twelve airframes, not enough to maintain their fleet, that means that the C/D's will soldier on untill being replaced by... something... circa 2040 (I supose)
Cheers
By: - 6th July 2018 at 02:24 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Is it truly a 6th generation airplane?
To determine if is a 6th generation airplane, you must be able to define the requirements for a 6th generation airplane.
Is it intended to fly though an IADS equipped with the latest high end SAMs such as Thaad, S-400/500, Arrow/Stunner, or the inevitable PLA super SAM?
Is it intended to fly missions from bases far beyond the reach of IRBMs which would devastate a nearby airbase?
To do the above would require an airplane capable of Mach 3 at 28km altitude, possess a 3200km combat radius, and carry no less than 12 missiles with multi-mode sensors, a multi-purpose warhead and programmable fuze.
Is Sweden really going to pay for such an expensive airplane whose purpose is to violate the airspace of a major power? Lol. I think not. It Saab/BAE posturing in an attempt to overcome lackluster sales and stand out in the marketplace when EU has no stomach for such things..
By: - 6th July 2018 at 03:47 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Don't be so hard. 6th gen is marketing bs obviously but more at the attention of taxpayers that were told for years that's stagnation was the new pinnacle of moving forward and 5th gen was LM propaganda. Now they want to build something that will stand a chance to better the then old f-35: a 5th+ gen aircraft called a 6th gen not to embarrass anyone*.
Last, I wonder how BAE and Saab will re conciliate the expectations drafted in a UK/Japan cooperation: a large fighter is not a nimble low cost one. So, expect two different airframe (and some great synergies!) or an announcement that the joint UK/Japan effort is... Dead.
*until it can prove to be a true dogfighter, for sure we can call it a dodge one!
By: - 6th July 2018 at 05:43 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Is it truly a 6th generation airplane?To determine if is a 6th generation airplane, you must be able to define the requirements for a 6th generation airplane.
Yes, it depends on your definition of fighter generations.
In Swedens case, you have J 21, J 29, J 32, J 35, J 37, JAS 39. So that would make a hypothetical JAS 41 a 7th gen. plane. Probably better not to count the J 32 though since it was mainly an attacker (as the number 32 implies) / night fighter used alongside other fighters. So there you have it, the Gripen replacement is truly a 6th gen fighter jet.
Or to put it in other words, this generations talk is nonsense.
By: - 6th July 2018 at 10:35 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
SAAB has been working on a follow on capability for the best part of a decade, thats pretty much public.
The Flygvapnet fields six front line sqns, ordered sixty "E" with a possible follow on order of twelve airframes, not enough to maintain their fleet, that means that the C/D's will soldier on untill being replaced by... something... circa 2040 (I supose)
I can only talked about i was told there. And i xas said (asking aout efcas btw) no, no follow on until Gripen E is operational. Whatever public says.
WAnt a photo in pm?
By: - 6th July 2018 at 17:56 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I can only talked about i was told there. And i xas said (asking aout efcas btw) no, no follow on until Gripen E is operational. Whatever public says.WAnt a photo in pm?
No need, i perfectly believe in you, and what i wrote complement your text above, they are not mutually exclusive. Thing is the Gripen E will be delivered next year, will get IOC in two years, the Swedes only ordered enough airframes to cover part of their Sqns and if they want to replace the rest this is the time to start looking for a possible follow on, all this dovetails nicely with the SAAB chaps talking with the likes of BAE, Airbus, Dassault and so on.
By: - 8th July 2018 at 18:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I don't think that it is right to rush into a 6th generation fighter just yet, we don't even know what the requirements of such a fighter would be.
Posts: 1,067
By: Phantom Phil - 5th July 2018 at 13:15
Not sure if this has been posted...
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-holds-discussions-with-sweden-over-fighter-collaboration/