The Russian built Sukhoi jets are one of the most exported fighter jets in the world. However, Sweden has a jet of its own that has been dubbed as the ‘Sukhoi killer’. The Gripen E fighter jet developed by Saab has been designed to kill Russia’s Sukhoi jets.
Sweden’s Air Force says its Gripen E fighter jets are designed to kill Russia’s fearsome Sukhoi fighter jets, and that they have a “black belt” in that type of combat. Russia’s Sukhoi fighters have achieved a kind of legendary status for their ability to out-manoeuvre US fighter jets in dogfights and pull off dangerous and aggressive stunts in the air, but Gripen E may have cracked the code.
Justin Bronk, an expert at the Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider that just as the American A-10 Warthog attack aircraft “was designed around its powerful cannon,” the Gripen was built with a focus on electronic warfare.
Almost all modern aircraft carry out electronic warfare to some degree, Bronk said, but the Gripen E stands above all others. In a test flight, the Gripen E jet was able to “jam” the German Typhoon fighter jets.
While the US has spent millions on dollars on stealth technology to outclass Russian Sukhoi jets, Sweden has taken a completely different approach.
AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Saab took a different and cheaper approach to combat the Sukhoi by focusing on electronic attack, which gives them an advantage over stealth as they can evolve the software without a ground-up rebuild, according to Bronk.
The Gripen E has been ordered by both Sweden and Brazil. Other Saab Gripen fighters have been sold to Hungary, Czech Republic, South Africa and Thailand. India turned down the option to buy the Gripen fighter jet for French Rafale.
IAF Failure In Kashmir Skirmish
During air battles along the Kashmir border on February 26 and 27, 2019 an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 was shot down, apparently by a U.S.-made AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) fired by one of Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) American-built F-16 fighters. India claims to have downed a Pakistani fighter – which Pakistan denies – but India was still embarrassed by the capture of its MiG-21 pilot, who was shown on Pakistani television and later returned.
Times of India reported citing Indian Air Force sources that IAF Su-30MKI made an u-turn after facing battering rounds of American-made beyond visual range missile known as AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM and loosing an aircraft. After loosing one of its fighters to Pakistani jets armed with American-made missiles, India is not happy with its Russian-made missiles.
India is now looking to Israel, from whom it has purchased numerous weapons, such as the Heron drone and the Derby, a radar-guided, beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile with a range of 50 kilometers (31 miles). To counter AMRAAM-armed Pakistani F-16C, the IAF is looking at the improved I-Derby, which features a more radar seeker and – most importantly – a 100-kilometer (62 mile) range.
India needs SEAD strategies to counter HQ-16A, HQ-9 and S-400
The NATO alliance is currently drafting a roadmap regarding how to reach the SEAD goals outlined at the Wales summit discussed above. Furthermore, the presentation emphasised the need for alliance members to ensure that the national SEAD capabilities that they currently possess, or which they could gain in the future, mesh with NATO’s overall SEAD strategy, as well as serving national doctrines.
The Saab JAS-39 E Gripen armed with advanced EW capability allow IAF to perform true SEAD (as opposed to the destruction of enemy air defences using conventional weapons) within Pakistani and Chinese territory.
Dassault’s Rafale was not India’s only choice as various other global firms expressed interest in the MMRCA tender. Six renowned aircraft manufacturers competed to bag the contract of 126 jets which included Lockheed Martin’s F-21, Boeing’s F/A-18s, Eurofighter Typhoon, Russia’s MiG-35, Sweden’s Saab’s Gripen and Dassault’s Rafale.
The Su-30MKI proved to be a lame duck against F-16C, until Indian Air Force get thier hands on F-35A, — the only way India could take fight to Chinese territory and kill J-11B, J-10C and J-16 is to induct Saab Gripen E fighters.
© 2020, GDC. © GDC and www.globaldefensecorp.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to www.globaldefensecorp.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.