Saab Gripen & Gripen NG thread #3

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"The Czech Republic has turned down the latest Swedish proposal for a lease on 14 Swedish-made JAS Gripen fighter jets.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas says the deal would be too expensive for his country."

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/137228/gripen-offer-too-expensive%2C-czechs-say.html

The current deal runs out 2014. I presume Czech Republic wants it to carry on, just want to get a better price - SAAB has been asked to requote. If a Gripen lease deal is too expensive, anything else would be even more too expensive, surely.

Because the antenna rotates, it cannot mount IFF aerials, as they would change polarity with the rotation. To overcome this issue Selex Galileo has devised the SIT426 active e-scan Mode 5/S IFF system, which it claims is the most advanced in the world. It is the first IFF to use conformal e-scan arrays, three of which are mounted around the fixed portion of the nose behind the rotating antenna.

I dunno about that...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_mDvQ8xYRdSI/SpZVIDJjyCI/AAAAAAAAAMw/80lauPW1Ypk/s1600-h/27.08.2009+10-14-37_0017.jpg

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WOOHAAA !! This is how it's done !

Well FA-50 Tejas ect are screwed.

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WOOHAAA !! This is how it's done !

Remarkable... but then Saab has said that the F414 costs less to acquire and operate than the (boutique) RM12, Selex has sold its AESA technology to users that have never bought (or looked at, as far as I know) Raytheon or NorthGrum, which suggests that it is reasonably priced, and the new avionics architecture is more COTS than its predecessor.

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Balance that against this:
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/137265/gripen_ng-costlier-than-expected%3A-report.html

The Swedish Armed Forces will have to cut back on billions of kronor by next year if they want to afford putting the new super jet JAS Gripen into production, according to a report by national broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR).

The military in March supported an earlier proposition voted through in the Riksdag that Sweden should develop up to ten of the E/F model JAS.

But according to SR, the army and the government in May received a cost prediction from the Saab Defence Group, a figure reportedly way above what was expected.

In January, SR reported that the expected price tag on the development of the new super jet would reach the vicinity of 32-33 billion kronor ($4.7-4.8 billion), but this figure has allegedly since risen significantly, according to the broadcaster.

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16 years 8 months

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Sounds like a negotiation in progress - and some reprogramming of funds is likely because the Swedish forces are doing E/F earlier than expected under the timeline agreed with the Swiss.

Negotiated prices are also important because Swedish systems development is covered by (LockMart shills, stop your maidenly ears) fixed-price contracts.

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Remarkable... but then Saab has said that the F414 costs less to acquire and operate than the (boutique) RM12, Selex has sold its AESA technology to users that have never bought (or looked at, as far as I know) Raytheon or NorthGrum, which suggests that it is reasonably priced, and the new avionics architecture is more COTS than its predecessor.

Ericsson (before becoming SAAB-Ericsson) had a very long, in-depth look at Raytheon's AESA technology over a few years - then chose Selex as a partner.

The USCG & US border patrol both chose Selex AESA radars for their aircraft in competition with offers from US manufacturers. I don't know about the USCG, but the border patrol specifically mentioned both cost & performance in the press release announcing its purchase. These are much more cost-sensitive & risk-averse purchasers than the USAF or USN.

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A long time ago, the tech director of what was then BAE Systems Edinburgh, Prof John Roulston, was asked why they were not going full ahead with an E-Scan version of Captor.

His response was, basically, that they were working on AESA but thought that M-scan Captor would be competitive overall until AESA reached a point where T/R modules were being made with the same technology as cell-phone components and became both cheaper and more efficient. Roulston later formed Filtronics to do exactly that - I believe that they are a supplier to Selex.

(I suspect that Roulston's team was also working on the swashplate idea at the time. Certainly, the Eurofighter team now say that they didn't like the AESA's off-boresight limits.)

Selex AESAs are turning up in a lot of places now, while Raytheon and Northrop Grumman still seem confined to US fighters and high-end UAVs like MQ-4C.

It will be interesting to see if Selex gets offered by any of the companies looking at third-party F-16 upgrades...

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Selex AESAs are turning up in a lot of places now,

RN helicopters, Italian MPAs, upgrades to Peruvian navy ships & Ecuadorian maritime patrol aircraft, US coast guard & border protection aircraft, Finnish border guard aircraft, South Korean tethered aerostats for border surveillance, UAE corvettes, small UAVs for undisclosed customers (there's a 10 kg SAR AESA radar) . . .

US & other firms are offering Selex AESAs on their platforms.

It will be interesting to see if Selex gets offered by any of the companies looking at third-party F-16 upgrades...

Selex has shown a version of the Vixen with an array tailored for the F-16 nose.

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Saab has unveiled its concept of “wide spectrum combat” (Wiscom) to exploit the potential of the next-generation JAS 39E/F and C/D Plus, the latter being a C/D retrofitted with E/F avionics and sensors.

One part of the Wiscom concept is the idea of a “flexible antenna pool” in which all aircraft in a flight share sensor and target data automatically. Another is “silent swarm ingress” where a flight enters combat in a widely dispersed pattern, with primary sensors being infrared search and track (IRST), active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radars operating in passive mode, and electronic surveillance measures (ESM).

Under Wiscom, AESA transmissions are restricted and “random”—that is, the aircraft in a flight will transmit at different times, making it difficult to track them by emissions. Swedish engineers have noted that data-linked radars can share plots—not just tracks—and take simultaneous range-rate measurements, allowing two radars to determine a target's velocity almost instantly. Finally, Saab envisages the use of the high-energy MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile to engage from side and rear aspects where targets are less likely to detect the threat.

For air-to-surface missions, Saab is studying an improved RBS 15ER (extended range) version of its own cruise missile with improved land-attack capability. In maritime attack, Wiscom tactics would allow a flight of Gripens to assess the target formation and launch up to two missiles each from different directions with simultaneous arrival times, saturating the target's ability to defend itself.

While other fighter programs claim the ability to use real-time networked tactics, Wiscom is not entirely new, but an extension of Swedish technology developed since the 1960s, when data links were introduced secretly to bypass Soviet communications jamming. The first two-way aircraft-to-aircraft fighter link was deployed on the JA 37 Viggen in the 1980s. It was disclosed after the Viggen was retired in 2005 that it was capable of a “silent” AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile attack, performed by two aircraft using their PS 46/A radars in passive mode.

The original Tactical Information Data Link System (Tidls) fitted to the JAS 39A/B was designed to display the position, bearing and speed of all four aircraft in a formation, including basic status information such as fuel and weapons status. Tidls information, along with radar, EW and mapping data, appears on the central multi-function display. Detailed symbols distinguish between friendlies, hostiles and unidentified targets and show which member of the flight has targeted each hostile. Wiscom blends this capability with AESA, IRST and improved electronic support measures.

Full story: http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_08_13_2012_p38-484470.xml&p=2

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Interesting round-up.
One very minor correction, though. The passive AMRAAM-launch capaility was known about some time before the Viggen was retired in 2005. The capability most likely became reality around 2001 with software edition 'O', although a passive radar mode was first introduced in the previous edition ('N') in 1999.

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Well FA-50 Tejas ect are screwed.

only if it lives up to manufacturers claims :diablo:

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And if the price doesn't increase too much. All those goodies surely will come at a cost.

Nic

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And if the price doesn't increase too much. All those goodies surely will come at a cost.

Nic

SAAB CEO claims a ~10% price drop vs C/D. Not sure how realistic that is though.

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The F414 engine is significantly cheaper than the RM12.

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Saab Akaer Collaboration Enters New Phase

07:26 GMT, October 30, 2012
The program of technology transfer in the area of aerostructures for the Gripen NG entered a new phase with the completion of the design of the rear fuselage of the aircraft and the start of production. Akaer is the first Brazilian company to participate in developing a fifth-generation supersonic fighter.

A group of five engineers from Akaer would be going to Sweden this month to monitor the production of parts developed in Brazil and start the planning for the next phase, involving the central fuselage design of the Gripen, says a post in the Brazilian blog Airpower.

Akaer is also responsible for the design of the wings of the fighter, which will be made of composite material. In 2009, Akaer was hired by Swedish Saab Gripen to develop parts of the Gripen NG.

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/40799/?SID=bf9a6fb3cfac88324176538eea63310d

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Keeping in tradition my stealing from MP :o

Saab and GE Aviation Strengthen Ties with Brazilian Aerospace Industry

SOURCE: SAAB AB PRESS BULLETIN 13NOV2012

Saab’s technology transfer plan regarding Gripen NG for the Brazilian F-X2 fighter jet competition has been further strengthened by its partner GE Aviation signing MOUs with several Brazilian aerospace companies.

The MOU’s enable Brazilian suppliers to become a member of GE’s global supply chain and strengthens the in-country component of Saab’s Gripen NG proposal to the Brazilian Air Force.

The MOUs with Grauna Aerospace S.A., Increase Aviation Service Ltda., TAP Maintenance and Engineering, Avio do Brasil and AKAER provide local expertise in different areas of aircraft maintenance, manufacturing and engineering.

"GE Aviation is pleased to build on our excellent relationship with Brazil, where we have developed cutting edge technologies with local industry and launched our most recent technology research center in Rio de Janeiro,” said Tom Champion, GE Aviation Industrial Cooperation director. "With on-the-job training, GE will help build industrial capabilities in Brazil that will position the country to compete in the aerospace market for years to come."

The potential co-operation for GE Aviation is to develop programs with the Brazilian aerospace companies to establish long-term aircraft support within Brazil. The programs would include technology transfer as well as training in maintenance and assembly and engine inspection and testing.

“I am very pleased with the continued and extended support from GE that demonstrates their comittment to our joint activities in Brazil. Saab and GE has a long term sucessful partnership in the Gripen program,” said Åke Albertsson Saab Country Manager in Brazil.

Akaer is already participating in the Gripen NG programme including design, tooling and industrialization and in May 2012 Saab strengthened its relation with Akaer through a financial investment furthering yet another important step towards further future design, development and production of Gripen NG in Brazil.

Saab’s proposal for Gripen NG in Brazil includes a Technology Transfer plan to equip Brazilian industry with the necessary capabilities (skills & knowledge) to perform development, production and maintenance of the Gripen NG.

The Transfer of Technology will be performed through hands-on development work and put into practice through the development, manufacturing, operation and future upgrade phases of the Gripen NG in Brazil. A strategic alliance with Brazilian industry, where Brazil will become an equal partner in the development work of Gripen NG.

GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE, is a world-leading provider of jet, turboshaft and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

END OF PRESS BULLETIN

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Saab And GE Aviation Sign MOUs With Brazilian Aerospace Companies
Saab’s technology transfer plan for the Gripen NG in the Brazilian competition has been further strengthened by its partner GE Aviation signing M0Us with Grauna Aerospace S.A., Increase Aviation Service Ltda., TAP Maintenance and Engineering, Avio do Brasil and AKAER.
http://www.gripenblogs.com/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=482

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Some good pix of a nifty lookin fighter
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191384&d=1354309030
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191386&d=1354309033
<img src="http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191396&d=1354309055" alt="http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191396&d=1354309055" style=";" />
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191395&d=1354309053
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191394&d=1354309051
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191393&d=1354309049
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191397&d=1354309402
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191392&d=1354309046
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191391&d=1354309045
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191389&d=1354309041

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That last picture had me chocking on my weetbix!!! It looks like she needs a real fighter...:diablo: