The Gripen’s successful combat mission in Southeast Asia serves as a major boost for the platform.
The Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet recently marked a major milestone after seeing combat for the first time. After five tense and hostile days between Thailand and Cambodia in late July, the two nations agreed to a ceasefire. During the skirmish along the disputed frontier between the Southeast Asian countries, the Royal Thai Air Force deployed its Gripen fighters in combat. This historic moment occurred when the Thai jets targeted Cambodian artillery positions along the shared border. Notably, Bangkok has flown the Gripen series for nearly 15 years. However, until the recent cross-border skirmish, these Swedish-made jets were used solely for training, patrols, and airshows. The jets’ successful combat mission in Southeast Asia serves as a major boost for the platform and its manufacturer, Saab.
Prior to the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, Bangkok had announced its plans to procure an additional dozen E/F Gripen jets in the near future. However, based on the skirmish, this deal may not actually come to fruition. According to a Breaking Defense report, Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has not committed to penning this contract with her Thai counterparts. “It is of the utmost importance that international law, including international humanitarian law, is respected and that all parties work toward de-escalation, dialogue, and a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” a spokesperson for the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated. While the boost in the Gripen’s reputation is a bonus for Saab, the manufacturer has been careful to tiptoe around the use of its fighter jets in combat. “We are, of course, following the development and naturally hope for a peaceful solution to the conflict as soon as possible,” SAAB spokesperson Mattias Radstrom stated. “Questions about how Thailand uses its Gripen aircraft must be addressed to the Thai authorities,” he said.
An Overview of the Gripen
Sweden’s supersonic, multirole, fourth-generation Gripen platform has remained in service for nearly four decades. Stockholm initially envisioned a replacement aircraft for the Saab 35 Draken and Saab 37 Viggen in the 1970s. The government tasked manufacturers to create design proposals for a single-engine aircraft that embraced fly-by-wire technology, canards, and other sophisticated characteristics. While the government toyed with the idea of procuring foreign fighters, including the American-made F-16, F-18, and French-made Mirage 2000, it ultimately opted to stick with a fully domestic design. The resulting JAS 39 Gripen embodies its moniker Jakt, Attack, och Spaning, which is Swedish for air-to-air, air-to-surface, and reconnaissance. The Swedish jet is capable of reaching speeds in excess of Mach 2 (times the speed of sound), making it one of the fastest fourth-generation fighters around. In terms of weaponry, the fighter is well-equipped. The Gripen is compatible with a wide array of armaments, including the AIM-9 Sidewinder, the RBS-15 anti-ship missile, the 27mm Mauser BK-27 cannon, and the MBDA Meteor missile.
Until the skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia, the Swedish jet had never seen combat before. Based on its positive performance flying for the Thai Air Force, the platform may see a boost in foreign interest down the line.
About the author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
Image: DVIDS.
