The Swedish Parliament has announced in a press release that the Defence Committee has given its nod for the purchase of 40-60 new Gripen fighters.
The Committee also wants an annual accounting on Gripen NG. A majority of the members of parliament have declared that the parliament should be presented with information on a yearly basis so that it is able to follow up on its decision on Gripen upgrade.
According to Corren, the parliament still has to meet on 6 December for a formal decision on the acquisition of the fighter planes. However it is clear that there is an adequate majority in favour of the Gripen.
With Gripen expected to remain in frontline use until 2040, Stockholm has, within the past year, made a fresh commitment to further boost the single-engine type’s capabilities, giving its backing to a more capable E-model development, under a bilateral agreement with Switzerland, reports Flightglobal.
The report talks about Sweden’s smart defence plans and says that the country has a complete air force. Gripens provide quick reaction alert cover, while a fleet of three Erieye radar-equipped Saab 340s provides airborne early warning and control services.
Head of Sweden’s air force requirements Lt Col Rickard Nyström says that Gripen E is all poised to counter potential threat scenarios for the 2025 timeframe with its advanced capabilities, which include longer range or more time on station, super cruise performance, increased weapons-carrying potential, and enhanced radar and electronic warfare systems.
“We really think that we need this [Gripen] configuration to build up the [defensive] umbrella over Sweden,” Nyström noted, at the International Fighter conference in London last month.
