Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1308154
Boeing's offer advantage stems from the fact that the new jets, as the company representa- tives suggest, could make use of the already existing infrastructure utilized by the legacy Hornets. Furthermore, training the crews that fly the legacy Hornets now could be quicker, than in case of adopting an entirely new type. The Swedish JAS 39E offer is the most com- plex one, meanwhile. Apart from the Gripen E fighters, the Swedish bid also includes the Global Eye AEW/C platform. SAAB suggests that a systemic approach as such would pro- vide the Finnish Air Force with a much greater air defense potential. The low LCC is a great advantage of the Swedish offer. Furthermore, Gripens are also capable of austere landing field operations. The possibility of deepen- ing the cooperation between the air forces of the Scandinavian Gripen user group (should Finland procure the Gripens, Sweden and Finland would use the same type) is also be- ing brought up. Doubts, however, emerge on the grounds similar to the ones associated with Boeing's offer: the limited user group, especially in the European context. Apart from the Swedish military that has 60 Gripen Es in the delivery queue, Brazil is the only other state that de- cided to procure the platform (36 Gripen E single-seaters and Gripen F twin-seaters, de- veloped specifically for the Brazilian Air Force). The plan is to manufacture half of the latter fleet domestically, in Brazil, with the involve- ment of the SAAB's personnel. SAAB hopes that it can secure more Gripen E orders in the future. The greatest opportunity for that to happen is expected to present itself in case of the two customers that Saab had already. Both Sweden and Brazil are planning to ac- quire more Gripens. Sweden eyes acquisition of 20 to 40 airframes. Brazil would probably be willing to acquire 72 Gripen Es in two produc- tion lots. SAAB is also engaged in quite intense marketing campaigns in other markets. As for now, the Swedish manufacturer has not dis- closed what states are interested in the latest variant of the Gripen. Nonetheless, the compa- ny representatives are in high spirits, when it comes to the prospects that the Gripen offer has ahead. It needs to be added that Sweden- related doubts also refer to the lifecycle of the new fighters. Sweden has just got involved in the joint Tempest 6th generation fighter air- craft project, together with the UK. BAE Systems representatives (offering the Eurofighter in Finland) place a great empha- sis on the expansive Typhoon user group that happens to be associated with Europe. This guarantees that, potentially, the Finnish fight- ers could benefit from the broad access to the logistics and joint upgrade programs pursued by that group. As Germany or Spain continue to procure the Eurofighters, the risk that po- tential user would be operating a platform that is obsolete or that has been decommissioned by the manufacturer nations is diminished. As the bidder claims, the offer is also to include a broad logistics support package that would grant Finland a high degree of LCC manage- ment autonomy. Rafale user group is limited to the European continent. However, the French Air Force usu- ally operates its aircraft for extended periods. Thus, the risk that Rafale could be withdrawn soon is fairly low. The unofficial information concerning the French offer suggests that if it is selected, at least some of the Rafales could be assembled in Finland. SWEDEN The combat capabilities of the Swedish Air Force has been revolving around the JAS 39 Gripen MRCA when the first aircraft - Gripen A - became a part of the Flygvapnet invento- ry back in 1993. Since then, the fighter under- went numerous modifications and upgrades. They all have been focused both on the air-to- air (expressed through the integration of the medium-range Meteor missiles) as well as on the air-to-surface domain - in the area of land and naval threats. All that was aimed at mak- ing Gripen a truly multi-role fighter platform. The Swedish Air Force expressed its interest in these capabilities by procuring further Gripen Cs and Gripen Ds. Also, the user decided to www.fragoutmag.com