Saab JAS 39E Gripen

Saab AB · Sweden · first flew 2017 · fighter

The Gripen E is a substantially redesigned, larger-fuselage evolution of the Gripen C/D with an F414G engine, AESA radar and significantly greater fuel and weapons capacity.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, delta
E — Engines1 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — FuselageWider, barrel-shaped fuselage compared with the slimmer C/D, clearly visible from head-on or above
T — TailNo tailplane

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Side by side, the E is clearly larger than the C/D with a noticeably wider, deeper fuselage. The intake shape changes from the simple rectangular chin slab of the C to a more curved oval cross-section, and the nose is slightly fatter. The enlarged canards and delta remain the key shared family feature.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Saab launched the Gripen NG (Next Generation) concept in the mid-2000s; the redesign grew into the E/F series selected by Sweden and Brazil. The E first flew in June 2017, powered by the GE/Volvo F414G producing 40% more thrust than the C/D's F404. Internal fuel capacity increased by around 40% and weapons stations were added.

Variants

The JAS 39E is the single-seat variant; the JAS 39F is the tandem two-seat version with the same radar and systems but a reduced internal fuel load. Both are in production for Sweden and Brazil (designated F-39E/F).

Where you'll see it

Sweden's Flygvapnet began replacing its C/D fleet with the E from 2023. Brazil's Força Aérea Brasileira, which selected the Gripen NG in 2014, is progressively building up its F-39E fleet. The Gripen E was heavily promoted to UK partners at Farnborough 2018 and is a regular RIAT display performer for the Swedish Air Force.

In depth

Sweden's approach to fighter development is governed by a strategic constraint that shapes every aspect of the Gripen E: the aircraft must be maintainable by conscripted national service personnel with limited specialist training, must be able to operate from dispersal bases including stretches of national road, and must be re-armed and refuelled within ten minutes by a team of six people — five of whom can be trainees. This REMO (Rapid Exchange on Mobile Operations) requirement is not a marketing specification but a genuine war-fighting doctrine born from Sweden's neutral-but-armed posture throughout the Cold War. The Gripen E meets it.

The F414G engine, sourced from General Electric with a Swedish industrial offset through Volvo Aero (now GKN Aerospace), delivers approximately 98 kN of thrust in afterburner — the same basic core that powers the Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet, though in a different configuration. For the E variant, GE and Volvo tuned the engine specifically for high-altitude performance over Scandinavia's demanding terrain and temperature profile, where a cold-soak start at minus forty degrees Celsius must result in a ready-to-fly aircraft within minutes. The single-engine configuration means Sweden's entire fleet depends on this one powerplant family, a risk acknowledged and mitigated by a comprehensive spares depth that the two-engine F-35A cannot match at equivalent unit cost.

The Gripen E's AESA radar, the Selex ES-05 Raven (developed jointly with Leonardo and designated PS-05/A Mk5 in Swedish service), is a key differentiator from the C/D's mechanically scanned array. AESA allows simultaneous air and surface track while the aircraft manoeuvres at maximum speed, something the older array could not reliably achieve. Coupled to the IRST (Infrared Search and Track) system on the starboard side of the nose — a passive sensor invisible to radar-warning receivers — the E can track and engage targets without ever illuminating its own radar, an advantage that the F-35 shares but the Eurofighter and Rafale achieve only through external pod.

Brazil's selection of the Gripen NG in December 2013 was arguably the programme's most consequential export win. Brazil evaluated the Rafale, the F/A-18E Super Hornet, and the Gripen in a process that lasted over a decade and became intermittently political. Sweden's offer included a substantial technology transfer, with Embraer acting as co-producer for Brazilian-assembled aircraft and full source-code access to mission software. This code access provision — which the US declined to offer on the Super Hornet — was decisive. Brazilian industry now participates in ongoing development of the F-39E, giving the Gripen family a South American industrial base that may outlast the Swedish one.

The Gripen E's closest technical rival is the Dassault Rafale, a roughly similar-vintage single-nationality European fighter that serves France and a growing export list. The Rafale is twin-engine where the Gripen is single; it is heavier and faster in maximum speed but costs substantially more to acquire and operate. The recognition distinction is straightforward: the Rafale carries prominent canards ahead of its delta wing and a blended chin intake, while the Gripen E has canard foreplanes that sit slightly higher relative to the wing and the distinctive oval lower intake. Both use relaxed-stability fly-by-wire designs and both can carry Meteor beyond-visual-range missiles — Sweden is a Meteor partner nation and the Gripen E was the first aircraft to declare Meteor operational in 2016.

For UK spotters, the Swedish Air Force sends Gripen C/D and occasionally E aircraft to RIAT Fairford, where the Gripen has appeared as both a display aircraft and a static exhibit. The British government evaluated the Gripen NG during the Joint Combat Aircraft competition before selecting the F-35B; a UK-specification Gripen was proposed with BAE Systems involvement. No Gripen has ever worn RAF markings, but the BAE connection — BAE holds a workshare in the programme — means British-sourced components fly in both Swedish and Brazilian aircraft. A recognition note worth logging: the Gripen E's wing leading edge is equipped with small, fixed vortex generators outboard that produce streamwise vortices to sustain attached flow at high angle of attack. They are small enough to be invisible in low-quality photographs but visible as sharp diagonal ridges in close-up imagery.

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