ARMED FORCES Date Posted: 11-Feb-2005
Gripen thrives but Sweden struggles
ROBERT HEWSON, Air-Launched Weapons - Linköping, Sweden
The export programme for Sweden's Gripen JAS-39 multirole fighter is expanding but the Swedish Air Force (SwAF) is grappling with the latest round of budget cuts that will substantially reduce the force and its Gripen fleet.
Manufacturer Saab Aerospace rolled out the first Gripen for the Hungarian Air Force on 25 January. It is one of five that will be delivered to the 59th Fighter Wing, Kecskemét, in March 2006.
Hungary has signed a 10-year lease-purchase deal with Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for 12 Gripens, based on the the JAS 39C, and a pair of two-seat variants, based on the JAS 39D. These aircraft have been rebuilt to C standard, using all-new fuselage sections mated with airframe components from existing Swedish JAS 39As.
Hungary's contract, including maintenance and logistics, runs from 2006-16. A deal to acquire AIM-120C-5 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles from the US was announced in December 2004. Hungary is expected to issue tenders for further air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons during 2005.
A second batch of two Gripens will be delivered to Hungary by the end of 2006, with five more in 2007 and three in 2008. Build work will continue to mid-2007.
The first group of three Hungarian pilots began training to become instructor pilots on 24 January at the SwAF's Gripen Centrum facility, F7 Wing, Såtenäs.
The SwAF is still coming to terms with the latest round of forces-wide budget cuts announced in December 2004. A cut of SEK3 billion ($428 million) in the 2005 armed forces budget of SEK41 billion has to be implemented by the end of 2007.
Commander of the Swedish Air Force Major General Jan Andersson, assessing the reality affecting his forces, stated the size of the cuts and the timescale were twin shocks.
"We are already making cuts for 2005 and will continue every year into 2008, but if my volume is to be cut back then I will trade that for capability. We lose JAS 39A/Bs but we will keep the JAS 39C/Ds. Our C transition plans remain unaffected. We will get the new [reconnaissance] pod, precision- guided munitions, helmet-mounted display and IRIS-T advanced air-to-air missile." However, he also noted that "the focus is moving away from long-term planning and it's the 2010-2014 Gripen that's under threat".
These concerns are shared across Swedish industry. In the words of one senior official: "There is now very, very little money for new programmes or upgrades. There is, in fact, no money at all to upgrade Gripen or any other weapon system."
The most obvious effect has been the closure of F4 Wing, at Ostersund/Frosën, where all flying will cease by June and the base will shut completely by the end of 2005. Sweden will then have just two front-line Gripen bases and only four operational squadrons, split between F17 (Ronneby) and F21 (Lulëa). Today, all squadrons are operating the JAS 39A, apart from 1 Div (1st Sqn) at F17, which is transitioning to the JAS 39C. Next year this unit will assume the air force's rapid reaction (SWAFRAP) mission. All training operations continue at F7 Wing, Såtenäs.
In a new move to define the future of the Swedish aerospace industry, and the Gripen's place in it, a committee that brings together Saab, Ericsson, Volvo, the national space agency plus Sweden's defence and industry ministries met for the first time in January. Its aim is to support and secure high-tech products like the Gripen as national assets - and to reassure potential customers that the programme still has a growth path for the future.
Saab has delivered 158 Gripens to the SwAF. The total order book stands at 232 aircraft (204 for Sweden, 28 for South Africa) plus the leasing deals covering 28 Gripens for Hungary and the Czech Republic. The Gripen International export team is pursuing medium-term requirements in Switzerland and Thailand, plus opportunities in Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia), the Far East (Vietnam, Malaysia) and Latin America (Mexico, Venezuela). Gripen International also cites potential business in India and Pakistan, although it is difficult to see how sales to both air forces could ever be reconciled. The long-standing Brazilian FX requirement, for which Gripen was a front-runner, has effectively been shelved and it is feared that there will be no new developments there for a year or more.
While Hungary was the first NATO customer for the Gripen it will not be the first NATO operator. That distinction falls to the Czech Republic, which is pursuing an accelerated Gripen acquisition plan driven by the urgent need to replace its sole in-service fighter type, the MiG-21. The first Czech Gripen flew on 18 October 2004 and was officially rolled out on 25 November. The 14 leased aircraft, 12 single-seat and two twin-seat, are being taken from existing Swedish production (Lots 27 and 28 of Batch 3).
The Czech Air Force would like to stand up its Gripens for the national Quick Reaction Alert mission in May and the first deliveries will occur in April/May to 211 Fighter Squadron, Casláv. They will be armed with AIM-9M Sidewinders and the Gripen's own BK 27 cannon. To date, the Czech authorities have not made any further arrangement for weapons such as the AIM-120.
The recent JAS 39C test and development programme has concentrated on clearing the export aircraft for service. This included qualifying the current SwAF avionics and systems fit to meet the contracted Czech requirement, which calls for items such as a new 'identification friend-or-foe', but does not yet include a datalink. In August 2006 the Czech aircraft will receive an Edition 2 upgrade that adds new functionality, such as an electronic warfare suite.
Work on the Gripen precision weapon fit is almost complete, with the aircraft cleared to use the Litening III laser designation pod in conjunction with GBU-10, GBU-12 and GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs (LGBs). The basic Swedish requirement is for a day-only LGB capability, while Hungary has specified a day and night capability. Furthermore, Hungary has requested clearances for all three GBUs listed above, while Sweden will only adopt the GBU-12. Hungary also plans to acquire AGM-65G/H/K Maverick air-to-surface missiles. There are not yet any contractual provisions to equip the Czech aircraft with an air-to-surface capability.
Testing continues of the final configuration for the Gripen's Cobra helmet-mounted display (HMD). After a few comfort-and-fit test flights in 2004, the oxygen mask and inner lining were redesigned. Trials of the remodelled HMD will begin in the simulator before mid-2005, leading to a first flight of the fully functional helmet in October/November. An integration contract for the IRIS-T agile air-to-air missile is hoped for soon. Two delayed, but essential, elements of the test programme are now getting back on track. These are the first flight of the SPK 39 reconnaissance pod, expected this month or in March and the long-awaited air-to-air refuelling (AAR) qualifications for the JAS 39C. A South African Air Force (SAAF) Boeing 707 tanker will deploy to Sweden for several weeks in March, undertaking 15-20 flights to clear the Gripen's AAR system and also to qualify the SAAF operators on the Gripen.
