Gripen Expands Its Advanced Weapons Capabilities

The Gripen weapons integration program is constantly evolving. With precision guided munitions testing essentially complete, the development team will soon start work with the Meteor advanced beyond visual range air-to-air missile.

Throughout late 2004 and into 2005, much of the Gripen test team’s development work has been focussed on meeting the needs of the Czech and Hungarian Air Forces.

This same work is linked with the Swedish Air Force’s own requirements and will ensure that all Gripen operators have a common capability standard for weapons and systems.

Gripen’s precision weapons system is almost fully cleared for service and will be one of the core capabilities delivered to the Hungarian Air Force. To date the Czech Air Force has not contracted for an air-to-ground weapons fit, but Czech pilots will still be able to train for the air-to-ground role using Gripen’s existing onboard systems.

Hungarian Gripens will be cleared to use the Litening III laser designation pod (LDP) along with GBU-10, GBU-12 and GBU-16 Paveway II laser guided bombs (LGBs). The Gripens will have a full night-attack/all-weather precision guided munition (PGM) capability.

For the air-to-air mission, Hungary plans to acquire the latest model of the Raytheon AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile.

In December 2004 the Hungarian MoD announced that it intended to acquire 40 AMRAAMs. Gripen is already cleared for the AIM-120B variant, so only a small amount of integration work will be needed to qualify the AIM-120C.

Hungary will issue a tender for more air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons during 2005. These are expected to include the AGM-65 Maverick missile and a new short-range air-to-air missile (AAM) – weapons for which the Gripen is already cleared.

Two more vital elements of the Gripen’s future weapons capability will start their system testing later this year. The first of these is the Cobra helmet-mounted display (HMD), which is an important addition to Gripen’s air-to-air, and air-to-ground weapons suite. Using the HMD a Gripen pilot will be able to use the next-generation of agile dogfight AAMs to full effect. The HMD will also be able to designate targets on the ground for PGM attacks.

In May the Gripen test team plan to start initial flight tests with the MBDA Missile Systems Meteor advanced beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM). Gripen will undertake all the initial live-firing trials of the ramjet-powered Meteor, with the first launch scheduled for late 2005.

Gripen International
Wed, 24 Aug 2005, 09:55


This should make the GRIPEN a lot more lethal...

Add to that the Taurus


The KEPD 350 stand-off weapon system is a joint venture between LFK GmbH (LFK) and Saab Bofors Dynamics AB (SBD). The company TAURUS Systems GmbH (TSG) was registered 1998 and is owned to 67% by LFK and 33% by SBD.

TSG is together with its owner companies developing the KEPD 350 under contract with the German MoD. The TAURUS KEPD 350 is a high precision stand-off weapon system designed to penetrate dense air-defences and neutralise high-value stationary and semi-stationary targets.

Today the final deliveries of the Czech Air Force Gripen aircraft were completed

Two (2) dual seat (39 D) Gripen multi-role fighters arrived at the Cáslav Air Base in the Czech Republic. These aircraft, the latest variant of the Gripen, were flown by pilots from the FMV, Swedish Defense Material Administration. The flight, which departed from FMV’s facility outside Linköping, lasted for about one hour.

On 18 April 2005, the first six (6) Gripen aircraft were delivered followed by a further six (6) aircraft on the 17 and 18 August. Today’s delivery makes up the full quantity of Gripen – fourteen (14) in totals- that the Czech Air Force will lease until 2015. Since the signing of the lease agreement in Prague in June 2004 Sweden has produced, tested and delivered all the Gripen aircraft to the Czech Air Force. In this fourteen month period Czech Air Force pilots and technicians have also been trained on the Gripen system by the Swedish Armed Forces.

“I think that is quite an achievement for all concerned and proof of the good cooperation between Sweden and the Czech Republic,” says FMV’s program director Per Nilsson.

The Czech Air Force Gripen aircraft have taken over the task of patrolling the Czech Republic’s airspace and have entered service as part of the NATO system. To date the Czech Air Force have produced some 300 flight hours since the first Gripen aircraft arrived in April 2005.

A second group of Czech Air Force pilots have arrived in Sweden for their conversion training to Gripen at the F 7 Såtenäs Wing. Following their training in Sweden they will return to the Czech Republic to complete the training with their own instructors.

Gripen is the first of the new generation, multi-role combat aircraft to enter service. Using the latest available technology it is capable of performing an extensive range of air-to-air and air-to-surface operational missions and employing the latest weapons. Gripen is designed to meet the demands of current and future threats, while at the same time meeting strict requirements for flight safety, reliability, training efficiency and low operating costs.

Gripen is in service with the Swedish and Czech Republic Air Forces and has also been ordered by the South African and Hungarian Air Forces. The UK Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) is operating Gripen as its advanced fast jet training platform for test pilots worldwide.


(Source: FMV Swedish defence materiel agency; issued Aug. 31, 2005)

Good glavin this airplane is quickly becoming a project to rival that of the Raptor itself. Good job on the tech specs. Reminds me of the old Delta Dagger, that Gripen does.