Agreed!

Gripen uses US engines, so not really a competitor in the overall sense. I like the Draken design for its time. The Swedes have always had a very unique approach to cockpit design and human interface, which seems to be more pilot-driven, at least before the era of the F-16 and F/A-18.

The GE414 engine, if I'm remembering correctly, Volvo Flygmotor did help to develop it.... I miss those days working for SAAB, great company to work for....and our -35 Draken, is one of the best looking jets ever!

@@Duececoupe Volvo Flygmotor made changes to the older F404 for Gripen-specific requirements, resulting in the RM12, 50% of which was made by GE, 50% by Volvo/Flygmotor. The newer F414 came from the Navy's cancelled A-12 stealth long range strike aircraft, and the YF120 motor for the ATF program, benefiting the Super Hornet and Gripen E. Older Gripens used the RM12. Gripen E uses the F414G. Draken used a licensed copy of the British Rolls Royce Avon, which was popular in the English Electric Lightning and Canberra, among others.

@@LRRPFco52 👍🏻 E/E Lightning and Canberra....beautiful birds! Can't help but thinking about the TSR.2 when those are mentioned....

Jas ouo men?

There is not much that is the same between a Jas E and a C. The airintake is different because more air is used to cool the new engine, there is 40% more fule ang a larger wing tank. As for parts of the plane more cooling is needed. This is to a part done by using the fuel. The E warfare suite uses a lot of energy and needs cooling to.

Sorry it took so long!

Eh, not really twice the distance my friend. It's got twice the no escape zone but ducted rockets can't fly as high as a missile with its own oxidizer. High altitude lofted trajectory yields longer range than high specific impulse motor at a lower altitude with a draggier design. This is why AIM-120D has a range of >160km and meteor >100km. Needless to say, maximum ranges are not applicable in air to air combat. These are the maximum ranges of these missiles in most optimal conditions. The meteor's incredibly large NEZ is far more useful for air to air combat, making it the better BVR weapon. Just had to clarify Rmax.

Thanks!

He did great!

SAAB is also heavily involved in the new american T-X trainer program with Boeing, even though american sources never mention it.

It was mentioned 👍

@@AlexKall only mention I recall was about quick turnarounds... Might have missed it but now you make me listen to it again 🤣

J-35 Was a subject of research, and detailed study, by the original USAF LWF Mafia, that developed the original YF-16.

Figmo 42 need to get smart on all of the weapons!

@@FighterPilotPodcast wise words well said sir! I'm just a special fan of the meteor as I've followed it's development the best I can.

Lily Lizard awesome!

Where is this and is it open for public? , please advise, brgds Bob

@@sorenolsen9083 it's in Linköping where you can see all the SAAB aircraft on pylon right next to E4 highway. As for tours you'd need to ask SAAB PR department. They're quite active on Facebook so that might be the easiest way to get proper info.

I spent a couple of weeks there in the 90s for the X-31 program and it was an impressive facility. Had a blast flying the Gripen sims, wonderful people and a fantastic place to work, but I've been in a lot of sims and a lot of aircraft factories over the years. So, the most impressive feature was when our hosts briefed us on the huge (recently mothballed at that time) underground factory floors. They've apparently got the second half of the factory and tooling all tunneled into the granite rock, 100 meters down to be shielded against attack. Its like the Mines of Moria from Tolkien down there.

@@jeffreyohara8967 The underground factory part is only 35 meters below ground level with a floor area of 21300m^2 so like a square with 146 meter long sides. It is today's primary storage. You can see images from it at www.fortifikation.se/studiebesok/platser/saab-linkoping/ and determine yourself if it is like Mora.

The entire horizontal stabilator on an F/A-18 also moves so it is identical, just in a different location.

It also looks like they act as "speedbrakes" during the landing roll. Adding drag and creating a downward force putting weight on the wheels. Not sure about it but that's what it looks like. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aJNii8eWmprcqmg.html

Except that the canards on the Eurofighter don’t function in that way (they do on the Rafale, which are slap positioned further back); the Typhoon’s canards contribute instead to its dogfighting prowess.

Situated behind the center of lift, the stabilator has to generate negative lift for nose up-moment. A canard can do this while contributing positive lift. The gripen canards also act as vortex generators, similar to the leading edge extensions on other aircraft.

@@NilsDanielsson True, because unlike stabilators, canards are on the opposite side of the center of gravity from the wings

We do not have a second Gripen episode planned at this time.

Good to know!

Thank you.

I used to think that too but I kept looking at it and starting to really like it... especially from some 3/4 angles

A classic example of “form follows function”: it is utilitarian in the way that a Swiss Army knife is.

Disagree. It is the prettiest of the 3 to my eyes.

The Typhoon is a pretty damn good fighter, but it looks like an ugly vacuum cleaner with wings.

@@maartineriksson It is that exactly, a German vacuum cleaner. Function über alles. In my opinion the Rafale is by far the prettier of the EF2000 project. ;)

Good to know!

Jakt (or hunt) would be fighter I believe.

@@KingKong-os7iv yes, jaktplan = fighter plane. 🙂

Sorry, doctor, but we can't possibly cover everything. Plus, in the 'aircraft series' we ask the same questions to each guest and EW is not one of them.

They're really silent about EW capabilities as it's still the front line of swedish defence and therefore mostly classified.

He is talking about it here a bit kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rplhjc2Zx5inZIU.html

ps and the delivery of the baby is at no cost ds

Jontus thank you for the sub! Lots of learning on a variety of subjects in this one, not just airplanes!

Gustav B lots of cool tech coming out these days!

We may eventually have a separate episode solely on the Viggen.

@@FighterPilotPodcast Oh man, this would make my year!

@@FighterPilotPodcast Please. :)

@@ja_37d-76 Not until March 2021 at the earliest, if even then...

@@FighterPilotPodcast That´s cool. Just knowing you are trying/thinking about it is nice. I actually sent some mail to a Viggen pilot and told them about you and maybe if he should check if you were interested in the Viggen... I know another one - and an old J29 and Hkp 4 (CH-46) pilot.. Would that be interesting? The last one actually pulled a Russian crew out of the baltic during the 80s.....

Rats, not anymore. Search Gripen flyby in KZfaq and I bet you'll find something similar.

Bummer.

Looks like g-loc from the video. And Sweden came to the conclusion that it was the pilots error that caused the crash. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h52lZ8Z7sbSRiJs.html

Would love to see the Draken too

I had been contemplating on sending e-mail proposing "Swedish Month" with episodes on Gripen, Viggen, Draken and Tunnan (sorry, I would prefer an episode on Tunnan over episode on Lansen). Well, I am now late with that thought.

We did allude to the possibility of more Saabs towards the end of the episode. In works!

@@FighterPilotPodcast I was late in getting the "Swedish Month" though maybe if the list is Viggen, Draken, Tunnan and Lansen, then maybe that could still be done. Though then the problem is finding people who have been flying Tunnan and Lansen (at least military side).

@@jwilson2793 The Draken is the coolest-looking fighter of all the Saabs.

Never heard of it. Was the SK-60 operational?

Just need to find a pilot and we'll cover it...

@@FighterPilotPodcast Maybe a return of Duke, but focused on the Viggen?

Reconnisance pilots flying the Viggen mentions that passing by russian navy vessels at mach 1.2 at 60 ft was not uncommon during the cold war.

@@MrVitkor The Swedish Flight Manual says to us it must be 1.1M then probably stall of the engine. But...

@@ViktorBengtsson We've yet to have a two-time guest, except as guest co-host second time around. I'm sure there are others out we also need to meet!

Perhaps, although no current plans.

Jakt, Attack, Spaning

@@HansKarlsson Ah,Thank you so much!

Hunt, Attack, Reconnaissance

Etirion it’s amazing how much different those 3 aircraft are, for being so similar looking at first glance!

@@FighterPilotPodcast Millenium 7 has a great KZfaq series discussing the design/ engineering considerations that influenced the Europeans to go with delta wings and canards. Here's just one of the many video topics: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hN9ggc2bz7DVkXU.html

@@brodieboy3 thanks for the undiscovered gem

Actually Gripen can fly without the computer by "turning off" (let them flap lose) the canards as without them providing lift so is the plane not actively unstable.

It's not going to be covered now I guess as it has just entered service

Yes, because now it's on Google Podcasts instead.

It's both. SAAB got a knack for ambiguous naming, Draken meaning both The dragon and The kite, Viggen being The thunderbolt and The tufted duck. Gripen The Griffon and Arrested.

👍

And then again Gripen is made and tested up here in north, and is familiar with the highway land-takeoff. :)

I believe the Swedish Air Force version will be equipped with the Ge f414 Enhanced which increases the thrust from 98kn to about 120kn. I did read in a swedish article that the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration would spend some 100 million SEK (just under 10 million US dollars) to upgrade the engine performance on all the Gripen Es for the Swedish Air Force. I assume that's always an option for any potential buyer.

@@onlypeaceindeath yeah - there's that one obscure reference to $10M for a possible engine upgrade for the USN Super Hornets. The USN has been studying it for quite awhile but hasn't yet adopted the proposed upgrade - possibly due to concerns about the impact on overall engine reliability. Sweden hasn't adopted it either as of yet. It's possible they ask GKN to look into modifying the the engine like they did for the F404 engine - but again nothing has happened as of yet. India is supposedly looking at the enhanced engine option for a version of its indigenous Tejas fighter that it wants for its aircraft carrier because the carrier planes need more thrust to get off the deck w/ a full load. Guess we'll see if & how that works out.

nope Hilarious. Not within orders of magnitude a stealth aircraft's RCS. LOL

Like the Super Hornet to the Hornet, or Strike Eagle to the Eagle.

It makes no sense for the team to have to submit a request for a flyover, then turn around and bill them for the privilege. The NFL benefits by getting crowd-pleasing entertainment and draw, and the military from the PR and training flying hours. Unless the source can be cited and checked, this reeks of inaccuracy. If this were the case and I were the PAO fielding the request, I would laugh and hang up on the request.

Bhosri k PL-15E bhool gaya hai?

Was the South African engine failure attributed to poor maintenance?

@@FighterPilotPodcast most likely. the plane was flying then all of the sudden it was dead quiet and the pilot had to glide the plane back in. we have rather big budget issues. it's really unclear as to how many active gripens we actually have, out of the 22 we bought some people speculate we only have 8 or 11 which are in active duty and they get rotated in and out of storage. i also heard from an airforce source that the average flight time per fighter pilot per month is 20 minutes. we dont have money and if you know anything about south africa, you know that our government never does any maintenance thanks for replying btw, really didnt expect that

@@lluvik2450 Yikes, scary situation.

The Fighter Pilot Podcast yeah it sucks. There have been many times where i’ve wished that i was just born in the US or a parent being a citizen just so that i could join the USAF

When did this happend?

Carries over to their furniture!

@@FighterPilotPodcast Danish Ylva more so than Swedish Ikea...

And the Finns. Finnish Air Force was one of the biggest user of the SAAB DK (Draken), Finnish Navy still use SAAB radars and RBS missiles. Some Swedish (Gripen) pilots resent Finns because Finnish Air Force adapted the F-18 Hornet in the early 90's when the Gripen suffered many catastrophic engine and software failures. Well, history comes around and now the FiAF HX evaluation programme is considering the Gripen E/F as one of the replacements to the current F/A-18 C/D models.

@@harri9885 Most of the early Gripen crashes were due to the pilot not trusting the aircraft to stabilise. Not used to the computer just sorting it out and trying to take over. I.e the problem is usually somewhere between the chair and the stick.

The Typhoon looks pretty cool too, no?Very much like a sci-fi space fighter.But, The Gripen does look like a small bat, and agile as one.

Thanks, Mainstay!

Seems so simple and pure, doesn't it...?

@@FighterPilotPodcast not really... There's so many factors to consider. But the Gripen is a very interesting option. You can toss in the Meteor as a plus.

After 2 years, the purchase cost argument between these 2 planes is much closer, if my informed-civie understanding understands recent contracts right. To the point that F-35A is the same, or 20% more expensive than the Grippen. I've heard Grippen artificially makes the cost per hour for the Grippen extra low, but it can't be denied: - Grippen is likely 3x-7x cheaper per flight hour than F-35A. A lot of factors depend on which aircraft to buy; but F-35 is a next-gen beast - I don't think the Grippen E/F is (or ever will ever be) that.

Never heard of it but sounds interesting. Can you post any links corroborating this?

@@FighterPilotPodcast Did a little search on google but nothing came up. This usually comes up in forums when discussing the possible sale of the aircraft to some European nations. The way it sounds is the aircraft will only be supported for 'air policing' duties during peace time. Would be good to get some clarification on this.

@@tomislavb5760 Indeed.

@@tomislavb5760 The sales are restricted, not only to countries in conflict but every sale of military hardware goes through the government (same in the US). So far the only time there has been a no is Belgium.

That's crazy.

@@FighterPilotPodcast Just a normal, livable life. We also have notified the Russkies that any invation has to happen during normal office hours and not during any summer holidays.

It's an acknowledgement that parenting is not just a woman's problem. And for a country that reintroduced conscription, but now for both men and women, pretty consistent.

@@FighterPilotPodcast It's actually a bit better than that. You get 480 days paid leave, split between the two parents, and you can save it until the kid turns 12, although the bulk has to be used before the kid turns 4. If you have another kid, that's another 480 days. Many only take 5 out of 7 days paid per week, which means you can stay at home for about a year, longer if you accept less pay. The amount is about 80% of your income up to a maximum of about 1000SEK (around $100) per day. All in all, pretty good.

@@oskarh5060 Dang, how do you guys get anything done?

😯

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gMmkjNB32dC4aGQ.html Fast forward to 3:20 for some wonderful and strange aircraft action.

The engine argument is big here in Canada right now. But it's mostly associated with the F-35. Definitely moot at this point, as engine technology is so much better than back in the 60s and 70s.

They did lose a Gripen due to a bird strike during an attempted landing in 2018. Luckily the pilot safely ejected. Not sure how a twin engine plane like the F-18 would have fared. nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/bird-hit-swedish-jas-39-gripen-causing-plane-crash-69157

A few years ago Canadian CF-18 crashed after an engine ingested a bird at low level.

Doh!

It is both the dragon and the kite. Viggen is both the tufted duck and the thunderbolt and a duck is a canard in French and it has carved wings. Viggen is a thunderbolt, the dual meaning in both names and not by accident. The name is also in definite form so it is "The kite". If it was just kite it would be drake in Swedish.

@@target844 The designers called it "The Kite" originally because of its shape. The Dragon-part came later. And if you read and use your brain, it is the WORD above mentioned, not the palne so no, it would be "kite" since the WORD is discussed.

@@target844 If you are gonna try and be a smartass, don´t fail.

You can spoof their radar gunsights

Then walk your fire! Old schooled!

Yes.

Bryan Thompson it’s possible, but many considerations and variables go in to each engagement! As always, a good pilot in a disadvantaged aircraft can overcome a poor pilot in an advantaged airplane, given a chance!

Yes exoatmospheric.wordpress.com/tag/gripen-vs-su-35/

Jajjemen! :)

This comes up on subsequent episodes...

That explains your icon!

Fighter pilots make movies; Bomber pilots make HISTORY !

@@USNRaptor Come on, ever heard of 'Broken Arrow' with John Travolta?!

@@FighterPilotPodcast Oh God. And you think Iron Eagle was bad?

@@USNRaptor I *loved* Iron Eagle! (when I was 10)

But how much does it cost to have the F-35A flying? (if at all flying) www.military.com/daily-news/2019/11/13/f-35-still-falling-short-combat-readiness-official-says.html

@@RogerJL Operational units have been running 73-92% FMC, including F-35Bs flying off the USS Essex in the Red Sea conducting 8 months of combat operations. The pencil-pusher Pentagon reports include the entire fleet of aircraft, most of which are conversion trainers at Luke AFB and MCAS Beaufort, the next largest group being 2 operational wings out of Hill AFB, UT. The conversion training units have early production Block F-35s which were used for maintenance training by contractors, since military maintainers had limited exposure (if any) to the F-35. In the Pentagon DOT&E reports, all those hours show up as MMHPFH, which are nowhere near representative of combat units. USMC Commanders said they experienced more than twice the MC and FMC rates of the AV-8B. 388th & 419th TFWs maintainers say they basically gas-and-go the birds, while carrying a few small parts in backpacks. There are former F-16 maintainers who say they miss working on the F-16 because it required them to actually get their hands dirty on a regular basis, whereas the F-35 maintains itself in many ways. Any faults or events are reported to the ground before it even lands via ALIS, so the jet tells on itself before any maintainers even touch it. That alone cuts out hours of old school diagnostics, troubleshooting, and portable test stations. You'll hear complaints from the US JSF operators because the spare parts demand was structured globally, pinning us to UK, Norwegian, Australian, Dutch, Japanese, and Italian operators who have limited budgets compared to the US. With that in mind, USAF F-35A squadrons from Hill have plugged into UK F-35B logistics support during European deployments, so the parts and systems commonality is already paying off in the first overseas deployments among the global JSF fleet.

Sweden buys them for somewhere between 60-70 millions, but I don't know what's included in that price.. Brazil for about 120 millions, but that includes tech transfer and a few decades of maintenance if I remember correctly. But I can't find any solid information about the unit price for the Gripen E. The 80 million dollar price for the F-35A is just for the engine and airframe as I recall it.

@@onlypeaceindeath The big thing to remember with any current production 4th Gen fighters is the ancillary costs that are additional to the airframe/engine/core avionics/sub systems. Once you start adding FLIR/LST/Designator pods, SAAB's new EAJP ECM/ESCM digital jammer pod, or RECCE pods, figure anywhere from 2-6 million Euros for those a piece. JSF has all of these capabilities already integrated into the airframe and avionics architecture from the start, with programmable upgrades and minimal component count hardware upgrades at later periodic stages of its life. For example, you don't need to pull the fiber optic wiring harnesses, distributed sensor chassis, or apertures for hardware changes, and can simply replace the specific hardware component module that adds the new level of capability. This is a drastic step away from 1980s airframe designs and bolt-on combat systems.

@@onlypeaceindeath Weapons to.

That’s amazing

And 'Predacons' are...?

Desepticons, my misstake, Predacons are in another franchise

@@blakkmoon Oh, Transformers then?

@@FighterPilotPodcast.... I made a misstake in The comment, i thought could be (not funny but) ok, in The transformers universe are a grupe Who transform in dinosaurs, The bad ones, are called Predacons.

I assume Rogan's show is his full time occupation. We're not there yet. If you'd like to help us get there, here's a convenient way: www.patreon.com/ftrpltpdcst

It's called paternity leave, and it's awesome.

Right, I believe they call it *paternity* leave.

@@FighterPilotPodcast Hi....Yes - Paternity Leave..funny mistake - dictionary.cambridge.org/de/worterbuch/englisch/paternity-leave Best Regards - I absolutely love your channel.

@@maartineriksson I am single...so I was not aware... LOL :)

@@Robert_Kawalec Did not mean to sound patronizing. :)

There are a lot of cold war secrets around Nordic countries still not public... but for one that is public, it was a swedish Viggen that was able to intercept and got a radar lock on an SR-71 Blackbird returning from spy mission afaik.

@@antimonni and more than once, they even did successful simulated missile launches as to what I've been told.

​@@AlexKall And on occassion had to escort one that ran into trouble: www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a25349308/swedish-pilots-medals-sr-71-blackbird/