Saab Gripen JAS 39B

What the Saab Gripen is

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a light, single-engine, supersonic multirole fighter built in Sweden. Its name means “griffin,” and “JAS” stands for the Swedish words for fighter, attack and reconnaissance.

This page covers the two-seat Gripen. That means the original JAS 39B and its modernized successor, the JAS 39D, which is the aircraft the specification table lists. The single-seat versions are the 39A and 39C, and the newer generation is the Gripen E and two-seat F.

Why Sweden built a small fighter

In 1979 the Swedish government began studies for one aircraft to replace both the Saab 35 Draken and the Saab 37 Viggen. The Air Force wanted an affordable Mach 2 fighter that could operate from short, rudimentary strips under a dispersed basing plan in case of invasion.

That plan used rudimentary road bases about 800 m long, part of the Bas 90 system. It is why the Gripen is small, light and quick to turn around on austere airfields, and it is the design logic behind everything else on the aircraft.

Development and first flight

The first prototype was rolled out on 26 April 1987, Saab’s 50th anniversary. Flight-control problems delayed its maiden flight by 18 months, and it first flew on 9 December 1988.

Early flight testing was rough. Prototypes crashed in 1989 and again at a 1993 display over Stockholm, and software changes developed with the US firm Calspan were needed before the program recovered.

The first operational unit, the Skaraborg Wing (F 7), took the Gripen on 1 November 1997. Roughly 300 had been built by 2023.

The JAS 39B and the two-seat Gripen

Batch II of the Swedish order was 96 single-seat JAS 39As and 14 two-seat JAS 39Bs. The 39B is 66 cm longer than the 39A to fit a second seat, and that change cost the cannon and some internal fuel.

Export customers wanted NATO compatibility, so the A and B were converted to the C and D standard, adding capabilities such as Link 16 and air-to-air refueling. The two-seat D is mainly a trainer and conversion aircraft, but it keeps full combat systems.

Engine and design

The Gripen has a delta wing with canards, fly-by-wire controls and an aerodynamically unstable layout, which gives it high agility. A single Volvo RM12 afterburning turbofan powers it, a license-built derivative of the General Electric F404.

The RM12 makes about 80.5 kN (roughly 18,100 lbf) with afterburner. The thrust in the specification table is the dry figure.

Explaining the numbers

The full specification table for the aircraft is on this page. A few figures need context.

The range in the table is the ferry range, the distance the aircraft can cover on a long transit flight. For a real mission the better number is combat radius, which Wikipedia lists at about 800 km (roughly 500 miles) for the C and D.

The top speed in the table is Mach 2 at 50,000 feet, converted to knots using the speed of sound at that altitude. At sea level the same aircraft manages about Mach 1.2, according to figures from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration that Wikipedia cites.

Payload is the other number readers misread. It describes what the eight hardpoints can carry, not what the airplane can lift with full fuel.

Weapons and sensors

The single-seat Gripen carries a 27 mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon, which the two-seat version drops. The C and D have eight hardpoints and can carry the IRIS-T and AIM-9 Sidewinder for close combat, plus the Meteor and AIM-120 AMRAAM at longer range.

For ground and maritime targets the list includes the AGM-65 Maverick, GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs, GBU-39 small-diameter bombs and the RBS-15F anti-ship missile. The radar is the PS-05/A pulse-Doppler set, and pilots use a Cobra helmet-mounted display.

How much a Gripen costs

There is no single price, and that is why the numbers online contradict each other. Sweden’s FMV delivered the final batch of 64 aircraft at 10 percent below the agreed price, which put the JAS 39C flyaway cost at under $30 million in 2008.

Wikipedia lists the newer Gripen E at about $85 million per aircraft. Program prices that bundle training, spares and support run much higher, so compare like with like.

Operating cost is where the Gripen argues its case. A 2012 Jane’s study, as summarized on Wikipedia, put the JAS 39C at $5,800 per flight hour, against $25,950 for the F-35A and $8,700 for an F-16 Block 40/50.

A 2023 study done by Aviation Week on behalf of Saab found $20,643 per hour for the C/D and $22,174 for the E/F, so figures depend heavily on what each study counts.

Has the Gripen seen combat?

Yes, in a limited way. In 2011 Sweden sent eight Gripens and ten pilots to support the UN-mandated no-fly zone over Libya.

By October 2011 they had flown more than 650 combat missions and delivered roughly 2,000 reconnaissance reports to NATO.

Who flies the Gripen

Sweden is the primary operator. Brazil, South Africa, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Thailand have all flown Gripens, and the Czech Republic and Hungary did so on leased aircraft that Sweden supplied.

Newer orders center on the E and F. Colombia signed for 17 Gripen E/F aircraft in November 2025, and on 30 June 2026 Ukraine signed a deal for 16 Gripen E aircraft, with Sweden also planning to donate 16 Gripen C/D.

The first Gripen E built in Brazil made its maiden flight on 7 October 2026, according to Saab.

Gripen E and F: the next generation

The Gripen E replaces the RM12 with the General Electric F414G, adds an AESA radar and an infrared search-and-track sensor, and carries more on ten hardpoints. Saab lists its maximum takeoff weight at 16,500 kg, against 30,900 lb (14,000 kg) for the D.

The two-seat Gripen F shares the E’s 98 kN engine. According to Saab, both versions have a combat turnaround of 15 to 25 minutes.

Sweden took delivery of its first Gripen E on 20 October 2025.

Gripen versus the F-35

The two jets are built for different jobs. The Gripen is lighter, cheaper to fly and designed for dispersed operations, while the F-35 is a stealth aircraft built around sensor fusion and survivability.

Our F-35 vs Gripen comparison sets the two side by side. For the wider field, see the best fighter jets in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Gripen better than the F-35?

Not in every way, and not for the same mission. The F-35 is a stealth fighter, while the Gripen trades stealth for a much lower cost per flight hour: Jane’s put the JAS 39C at $5,800 against $25,950 for the F-35A in 2012.

Has the Gripen ever seen combat?

Yes. Swedish Gripens flew more than 650 combat missions over Libya in 2011 as part of the NATO-led effort, and delivered about 2,000 reconnaissance reports.

Is the Gripen better than the F-16?

There is no neutral head-to-head, so it depends on the measure. On cost, Jane’s 2012 study put the JAS 39C at $5,800 per flight hour against $8,700 for an F-16 Block 40/50.

Is the Gripen a good fighter jet?

It has been a successful export fighter because it is cheap to run and can operate from short roadside strips. Its limits are a single engine and a smaller payload than heavier fighters, and in 2012 a Swedish Air Force officer told parliament the Gripen C would be outdated in air-to-air combat by 2020, which is why the E exists.

How much does a Gripen cost?

The JAS 39C flyaway cost was under $30 million in 2008, and Wikipedia lists the Gripen E at about $85 million. Support and training packages push program prices far higher.

What engine does the Gripen use?

The C and D use the Volvo RM12, a license-built derivative of the General Electric F404. The Gripen E uses the General Electric F414G.