SINGAPORE: Saab's Gripen fighter in maiden show appearance
06 FEBRUARY, 2018 SOURCE: FLIGHT DASHBOARD BY: AARON CHONG SINGAPORE
The Saab JAS-39 C/D Gripen fighter is appearing for the first time at the Singapore air show.
The two aircraft are operated by the Royal Thai Air Force, and will appear both on the static line and aerial display.
Saab has said that it is in early dialogue with Thailand to update its Gripen C/D fleet with the type’s latest MS20-standard software, which entered operational use in Sweden last year.
Meanwhile, the Gripen E remains on course to make its flight debut during the second quarter of 2018, as Saab steps up sales efforts for the new-generation fighter. The Swedish firm is particularly keen to compete for India's planned acquisition of a new single-seat fighter.
Deliveries of the GE Aviation F414-powered jet will start in 2019 for the Swedish air force, followed by aircraft for export customer Brazil.
Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that Thailand operates 11 Gripen C/Ds. It had 12, but one was lost in a January 2017 crash during an air show in Thailand, killing the pilot.
Original post: flightglobal.com
MS20 add MBDA’s Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile and Boeing’s GBU-39 small diameter bomb to the single-engined fighter’s suite of weapons. Other enhancements include enhanced Link 16 capability for situational awareness, a new data link added to enhance capability during close air support missions, expanded functionality for the pilot’s helmet-mounted sight, an infrared reconnaissance pod and an automatic ground collision avoidance system. Source: flightglobal.com
MH Spotting
Published on Feb 3, 2018
Gripen Royal Thai Air Force: Details
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