068 - JAS 39 Gripen

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

One has to appreciate the Swedes for having a national aviation industry with world class products competing with multinational, or US, industry.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Agreed!

[@LRRPFco52]

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.

[@Duececoupe]

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!

[@LRRPFco52]

@@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.

[@Duececoupe]

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

[@LuqmanHM]

About the canards, the Gripen have a delta wing which improve acceleration at transonic and supersonic speed and, higher angle of attack. The canards was suppose to supplement the delta wing by generating vortex for extra lift and control in slower speeds (subsonic) if I'm not mistaken. Plus having a relaxed stability design like Mig-29 which makes it abit more agile. Cheers

[@CallsignJoNay]

30:13 A Swed would probably be more suited to answer, but I believe the E/F has a more blended transition from the intake/fuselage to the wing, which allow the main gear to be moved outward laterally and also more allotment for internal fuel than the C/Ds. The Super Gripen airframe redesign is not as drastic as the Legacy to Super Hornet, but it's definitely not the same as the C/D.

[@sorennilsson9742]

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.

[@Guysm1l3y]

Great episode! One thing about canards up front vs traditional rear stabilators: one big driving factor for them in the 80s when the Eurocanards were designed was that the canards are LIFTING to keep the pointy end forward whereas stabilators are pushing down, meaning you're inducing drag to pull you down rather add to the wing lift. It's not an Earth-shattering difference, especially now with 5th gen designs where they can have rear stabs but need hardly any elevator downforce, they're naturally aerodynamically unstable and happy to swap ends if the FBW would let them.

[@bazej1080]

This Meteor ramjet missile is a game changer. All fighters employing it would be trading very favourably against any not-stealth fighters. Meteor would not only fly twice the distance but it would be also more maneuverable before the hit because of working engine in a final part of the flight.

[@EEEEEEE354]

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.

[@NilsDanielsson]

Great interview! The Gripen canards are further back than on the Typhoon and don't restrict the view. The point of canards as opposed to stabilizers is that all surfaces contribute to upwards lift, improving slow speed performance.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@4ndroidG]

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. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aF6ViZebapmrsJY

[@feliscorax]

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.

[@NilsDanielsson]

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.

[@gregory.chalenko]

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

[@petercandance2330]

The Certification applied for by the Gripen E is Civilian Standard, a lot more stringent on safety versus Military certification, supposedly the only Military fighter which will pass civilian safety standards (theoretically the air force can charge passengers for a ride and make it legal). The advantage of Canards versus traditional tail is that it contributes a huge amount of lift, the tail is more of just maneuverability, basically it pulls it's own weight. This is one reason why it is more aerodynamically efficient than the F-16. Notice that on paper, the F-16 has higher thrust to weight ratio, but in actual performance, the Gripen has a faster climb rate, and higher top speed=more aero-efficency.

[@Mattebubben]

57:30 I dont think this is an issue in the Gripen. The placement of the Canards on the Gripen is different then on the Eurofighter. On the Eurofighter the Canards are mounted very far forward (Below/infront of the pilot) Where as on the Gripen they are mounted on the Engine intakes so they are further back (behind / over the shoulder of the pilot) As such they should not block sight in the same way.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Good to know!

[@Stinger522]

I really enjoyed this episode. Three months of vacation time is more than what most people here in America get.

[@mcmoose64]

I would love to have your guest back to talk about the Viggen .

[@Mike-mx5ic]

Jas ouo men?

[@TheNemoyo76]

I love the Typhoon, but even I must admit it is the most aesthetically challenged of the three Euro Canard fighters. :)

[@TheRadiag]

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

[@feliscorax]

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

[@CallsignJoNay]

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

[@maartineriksson]

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

[@harri9885]

@@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. ;)

[@noisytwit]

The British one is leased and used by ETPS (Empire Test Pilot School) as one of their training platforms. Or at least it used to be, not 100% certain they still have access to it or even still use it.

[@lokstollen124]

I've been in the Saab factory where they produce gripen it's so cool!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Lily Lizard awesome!

[@sorenolsen9083]

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

[@antimonni]

@@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.

[@jeffreyohara8967]

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.

[@target844]

@@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.

[@antimonni]

One thing about the Gripen you didn't discuss or mention in the show: The swedish doctrine (aswell as finnish) includes the use of highway bases in the middle of the woods, and this is where the Gripen's small size and ease of maintenance really shines as the turnaround can be done by conscripts in 10 minutes(refuel/rearm), and only 1 hour for complete engine change!

[@antimonni]

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

[@AlexKall]

It was mentioned 👍

[@antimonni]

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

[@harri9885]

It would be interesting to have an episode on the Saab J35 Draken. Way ahead of her time and was still flown in this century.

[@maximilliancunningham6091]

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

[@mobiuszero1018]

You did it!! You actually got the gripen on the show! Been waiting for this for so long!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Sorry it took so long!

[@gustavb3673]

JAS-39 is really a great aircraft, i don't even think the Chinese can produce fighter jets better value over lifetime. About MBDA Meteor that is a game changer one also need to understand that JAS-39 has an dual link so it can update it after launch but also retrieve information from Meteors sensors which can be very useful. Some fighter jets will only be able to use Meteor as one way link and not dual as JAS-39. Also one need to know that JAS-39 has great information exchange what one plane or missile see or know everyone knows, the hole squadron and ground control. The E/F is an fantastic upgrade now SAAB only need so sell more jets since it's an excellent product.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Gustav B lots of cool tech coming out these days!

[@mimimimeow]

If I remember correctly, South African Gripen actually have fuel doors above the fuselage so they can fill it up with just fuel cans. and if I'm not wrong, Gripen E/F's missile warning system is called SAAB MAW-300, it is a part of a very-wide spectrum countermeasure system called IDAS. MAW-300 is IR and UV based, and it works by seeing the missile and identifying the missile rocket's characteristic burn. I believe MAW-300 (and the whole IDAS suite) was first used on the Malaysian Su-30MKM. the Gripen does have a notoriety in a Japanese flight game (the same game Ate the Rafale pilot promoted). It has a special missile that 100% will hit any plane.

[@123fockewolf]

The plane is built small and light weight for operating on small roads easier to maintain and as well that inertia is a factor when it comes to turning. The airframe is built so it is dynamic Unstable with an aft CG which leads to better maneuverability and energy retention in turns. Dynamic unstable means if the plane pitches up and you neutralize the controlsurfaces the plane would be still pitching more and more up and thats a way to save energy by reducing the amount of controlsurface drag for a turn. And like a normal it is not stable where it goes back to its origin position (dynamic Stable) So thats why the Gripen can not fly without a flyby wire Computer. Just look at the accident of the geipen over vattenfestivalen in stockholm where media was putting presure on Saab to make a demo over the city when the computer was not even fully developed. The ocillations as you can se is a great example of what a dynamic unstable aircraft behave without a Computer. Best podcast I ever seen new sub foor sureeee keep up the great work!

[@znail4675]

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.

[@TheRadiag]

With how far back the center of gravity is these days in fighters having canards upfront does provide a longer moment arm (more leverage) using canards in front of the wings, also the canards dont really change the lift character of the wing when they're at high AoA, but a big wing at high AoA will impact the effectiveness of stabilizers in the back. Doubt the rafale and gripen have a problem with the canards on roll in visibilty, the typhoons are VERY far in front, just behind the radome. Edit: Canards do actually help the wing generate more lift, so a canard-delta ends up with more lift than if you'd just sum up the lift of both. Close-Coupled canards like the Gripen or Rafales make a lot of use of this effect, whereas its not as strong on the typhoon due to the large distance and lower relative position of the canards.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@brodieboy3]

@@FighterPilotPodcast Millenium 7 has a great KZbin 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: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKqTf52gn6-kl6M

[@SS-hw1ou]

@@brodieboy3 thanks for the undiscovered gem

[@crystaldragon141]

To add another thing about the canard placement if you look at a birds eye view of the 3 "eurocanards" the Gripen and Rafale both have their canards well well back from the pilot, the eurofighter has them about even with the pilot which would explain the sighting difficulty the eurofighter has.

[@doctortmd]

Great episode! I was surprised not to hear more about the electronic warfare capabilities, I'd heard rumors that it does exceedingly well in that arena. Perhaps not true?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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.

[@antimonni]

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

[@deadphone9639]

He is talking about it here a bit kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmSUi52el5d2arM

[@joncoughlin3486]

Great episode! I would love to hear more about the Viggen. I love aircraft designed to super specific requirements, especially ones we can play with in DCS :)

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@IgkuitBBswm]

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

[@ja_37d-76]

@@FighterPilotPodcast Please. :)

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@ja_37d-76]

@@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.....

[@christophermailloux4706]

Unexpected but welcome topic this week! If we are on the topic of swedish aircraft, is there any chance of an episode on the Viggen?

[@jwilson2793]

Would love to see the Draken too

[@nikopursiainen9097]

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.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@nikopursiainen9097]

@@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).

[@LRRPFco52]

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

[@Cplblue]

Just subscribed yesterday and wondered if this was going to be a plane covered. Way too cool. Keep up the great work!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Thanks!

[@mi2ka3el]

J= jakt (hunt) A=attack S=Spaning (Recon)

[@KingKong-os7iv]

Jakt (or hunt) would be fighter I believe.

[@mi2ka3el]

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

[@LuqmanHM]

Would love of you could cover the Electronic Warfare capabilities/suite of the Grippen as being touted in the media on the next episode on grippen 😁😁😁

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@sorennilsson9742]

If I am not wrong you can change the speed on the Meteor from the fighter if you have a dual linc.

[@figmo4227]

Finally some meteor love ❤️❤️

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@figmo4227]

@@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.

[@brucetutton7897]

What a great, great interviewer. Don't know how I ended up here but really enjoyed listening.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Thank you.

[@dral9971]

It may be hard to imagine, but little Sweden is actually a world leader in Electronic Warfare. FRA, the National Defense Radio Establishment, is the Swedish national authority for Signals Intelligence, and cooperated intensively with the United States as early as 1947. It is not a departure from neutrality (which only occurs in war). Throughout the Cold War, Sweden was the United States' ears and eyes in the Baltics, Poland and western Russia. Together, the countries have developed many methods. Of course, the JAS Gripen is full of gadgets that only Swedes and Americans know about. There is the strictest secrecy regarding signal reconnaissance and electronic countermeasures, hence the silence.

[@irishpat64]

Excellent as always....Great to hear Fish back as well

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

He did great!

[@mobiuszero1018]

And fun fact: JAS in swedish is 'Jakt,Atack(sp?) And Spaning(again,sp?)' All of which means Fighter,attack and recon respectively,as Duke mentioned.

[@HansKarlsson]

Jakt, Attack, Spaning

[@mobiuszero1018]

@@HansKarlsson Ah,Thank you so much!

[@hendrixon]

Hunt, Attack, Reconnaissance

[@kernplace37]

I'm a simple guy, I see a Gripen TFPP upload, I click like.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Good to know!

[@donno1970]

Another fantastic episode. Living in Thailand I sometimes see them fly over. Would love to get a closer look at an air show some day. Thailand did lose one maybe 2 years ago, not sure what the cause was.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Bummer.

[@zoom5024]

Looks like g-loc from the video. And Sweden came to the conclusion that it was the pilots error that caused the crash. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2jYZZaAgbNgjsk

[@vnordh]

Finally! Been waiting for this moment for a long while!

[@Mattebubben]

If you have not already seen it there is video that you might find interesting about the Gripen. Its a Cockpit video from a Display pilot as he does a Display program and the Video features a G-Meter. It might give you atleast some indication as to the manuverability of the Gripen. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4nEgZmLqJumh9k

[@anti-socialmedia8195]

I love this plane. I really think we (I am an American) should by as many of these that Sweden will sell. We should also modernize the F-20 and put those in to production. I am really impressed with Sweden's military and the home grown weapons that they field. Their naval guns and their artillery is extremely well made and very dangerous to the poor bast**** who are unlucky enough to find themselves in the crosshairs. And I agree that this is one of the best looking aircraft ever built.

[@maartineriksson]

A small note regarding the old Draken - it was not named after the word "dragon", but after the word "kite". Kite is also "drake" in Swedish, and the Saab 35 was given its name simply because it looks like a paper kite.

[@johanmetreus1268]

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.

[@Nonameman0001]

Thank you so much for putting this out sir! If I may ask, would you happen to have a link to the flyby sound at the end? Thank you!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@_RAF_SkyRider_]

Thank you for the interview, sir! It would be very interesting and very popular, to hear a pilot of AJS-37 Viggen, because it is in DCS! Actually have a question about max speed on the deck of this bird, hope it's not a classified )). We have 1.3M in DCS now and it seems a bit too many))

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@ViktorBengtsson]

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

[@MrVitkor]

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.

[@_RAF_SkyRider_]

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

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@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!

[@Gripenace]

What a lovely Pod! :) Thank you.

[@rickardcarlsson4525]

The Swedish neutrality policy is probably one of the main reasons Sweden (still) have it's own aircraft industry.

[@harri9885]

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.

[@Rattlepiece]

@@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.

[@ZANDF]

The South African Gripen D (Two Seater) has the gun still.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

👍

[@harri9885]

One of the worries with the Gripen E/F is that is there enough thrust to weight on full loadout. The Gripen always flies with clear wings in airshows. I guess we will see that in the Finnish HX evaluation.

[@harri9885]

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

[@onlypeaceindeath]

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.

[@brodieboy3]

@@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.

[@mariusfrost640]

Can we get an episode on the SK-60? I just looked it up and fell in love with it. I like small jets that are low to the ground. It reminds me of the CT-114 Tutor.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@jaceyyyyyy]

Great Podcast! can you do FA-50 too? that would be great! thanks!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Perhaps, although no current plans.

[@paralleler]

Here's some video of a Saab Draken flight that I took at Reno several years back: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqmakH9-g51smtU

[@prashantsharmastunning]

meteor does not have the jet engine but it has ducted ramjet rocket propulsion. Those ducts controls the air flow and thus the combustion rate of propellant. It is most advanced and longest range BVR missile available in the world right now.

[@asiftalpur3758]

Bhosri k PL-15E bhool gaya hai?

[@terryboyer1342]

What's the difference between a Gripen and a Typhoon? The Gripen looks good! lol

[@jonathanwilder5246]

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.

[@petter5721]

Great interview! Gripen is Griffin in English 👍🏻

[@maximilliancunningham6091]

YOU so rock !!!

[@keatoncrandall2471]

Should the U.S. obtain some Gripen E's? They could be the solution for high performance, cheap to fly fighters. The F-16 is great, but the Gripen seems like it's kept up with tech development a bit better.

[@ahooogerhuis]

6 months of paternity leave is accurate. I'm not sure of all the details (I'm living next door), but here it's X months of leave when having a kid and minimum Y months out of the X months have to be done by the father. A month of summer hoilday in july-august sounds accurate, thats just the way things should be. On a similar note, I have a colleague that just went into the chrisrtmas holidays, and go straigt into some months of paternity leave and then intermixing it with some overtime that needs to be burnt off, and I won't officially see him in the office for 6-8 months...

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

That's crazy.

[@ahooogerhuis]

@@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.

[@fredmdbud]

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.

[@oskarh5060]

@@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.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@Hilariumosis]

Shame about not going in on the EW suit. It's scary effective, multiple reports on Gripen's sneaking up on pilots without notice until the pilot turned his head and saw the Gripen right there beside him due to it's insane jamming capebility. Think it has the lowest radar signature out there pretty much on par with stealth, it's AESA radar has 140 degree search angle from left to right combined with the IRST (passive so don't emit any energy to give away position) and an AEW aircraft it can detect and track low observable objects (up to 10 times smaller) even at long range. The pilot can move away a little and still monitor the area, even use weapons either beyond the point at which opposing forces can respond or without them ever realising Gripen was there in the first place. And the only plane to have performed better than the Gripen (far as I know) in Red Flag is the F-22, and by a small margin. That was back in 2013 and it was the C version that fell just short to the Raptor. And the E version is basically a whole new plane and much scarier beast. More fuel, longer range, higher payload, more hardpoints, greater thrust and thrust/weight ratio, HMD helmets. Electronical warfare is it's bread and butter. It's peak stealth as you can get without proper stealth design and coating.

[@protonneutron9046]

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

[@ClintThrust-e8r]

I really like the swedes pragmatism, when it comes to making jets.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Carries over to their furniture!

[@gritty7485]

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

[@lluvik2450]

south africa had an engine failure in the gripen at one of the airshows... just goes to show what the level of our maintenance is if sweden never got an engine failure

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Was the South African engine failure attributed to poor maintenance?

[@lluvik2450]

@@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

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@lluvik2450 Yikes, scary situation.

[@lluvik2450]

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

[@andreashoglund7890]

When did this happend?

[@neerajguy2001]

Can you please cover LCA tejas manufactured by HAL India. Indian air force has inducted one squadron, another one is being raised and additional 83 modernised versions are on order. Its in gripen's class and further versions are under development.

[@SS-hw1ou]

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

[@valko022]

The Gripen E is wider and longer than the C! It is 1,1 = 1.1 m. longer than the C! And yes!, the Gripen F (70 cm longer than the Single Seated E) is wider and longer Too as the D, Of Course! Because! Gripen E is 15,2 = 15.2 m. long and 8,6 = 8.6 m. wide! As the Gripen C is 14,1 = 14.1 m. long and 8,4 = 8.4 m. wide!

[@Phoenix37csp]

i used to listen to this on google play, then it stopped without warning, thought you stopped the show, now i see i'm way behind! any reason why it isnt available on google play anymore?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@jontus9925]

This was the best podcast I've found, thank's and sub'd !!!

[@jontus9925]

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

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@tabascoindy5005]

Of all 3 european Delta Wing Fighters, Typhoon got the most fierse look.

[@karikrans6687]

Gentlenmen, canards are for angle of attack. Makes additional lift and stol

[@stephenfowler4115]

You can have two Gripen for the cost of one F-35. And the cost per hour of operation is less than 10% the cost of operating a F-35.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@stephenfowler4115]

@@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.

[@elektrotehnik94]

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.

[@bobthompson4319]

I think the gripen is the best looking euro jet. 👍 if you agree

[@Bobcatflyfish]

Are you planning on doing an episode on the F-86 Sabre or F-100 Super Sabre? Would love to see it at some point, love the podcast, big fan

[@pigeonmail8374]

Far in the distance: Lazlo - “Yep!”

[@terryboyer1342]

Maybe I'm entirely wrong but I recently read that the DoD actually has to PAY the NFL to perform fly overs, Color Guards etc. It said it's considered recruitment and comes out of that budget to cover the NFLs expenses and compensation for what they have to spend (security etc) to allow them. I was shocked by this and couldn't believe the NFL actually would make money off them. I sure hope the article was wrong. Anybody have any insights?

[@fredmdbud]

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.

[@petter5721]

Gripen is the Swiss army knife of the sky 👍🏻

[@patriklind545]

The Canards give you less drag when you manouver in comarisson. Gripen has not a single engine failure yet. Not a single one. And nowadays, the extra safety just isnt worth the money.

[@yxeaviationphotog]

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.

[@brodieboy3]

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

[@rer1884]

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

[@petter5721]

Gripen E/F is basically a new design.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@1974lionsfan]

I would love to hear from an A10 Warthog pilot.. thats a badass plane

[@RKW1138]

I'm old school. You can't spoof cannon shells.

[@fredmdbud]

You can spoof their radar gunsights

[@ligmaboo]

Then walk your fire! Old schooled!

[@gregory.chalenko]

It's funny that "Gripen" is so easy to pronounce properly for a Russian :-D

[@deedsmillar6056]

its true. 2 engines doubles the chancve of failure. regardless, if you lose an engine, your day is done.

[@bobthompson4319]

a well balanced jet or anything will do the best at being a multi thing jet

[@tomislavb5760]

Awesome aircraft but one issue I have heard a bit about the Gripen is that the Swedish government have a policy of not supporting the aircraft (sold to other nations) during times of conflict. I have read that this has been a huge handicap in securing more international customers for the type. Does anyone else now anything more about this?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@tomislavb5760]

@@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.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@tomislavb5760 Indeed.

[@AlexKall]

@@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.

[@carlalm6100]

Did he says Enginerds? =)

[@ja37d-34]

Oof, Draken is actually "kite", the name is the same for kite and dragon in Swedish but it is actually called Draken for its resemblence to the toy, the sillouette....

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Doh!

[@target844]

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.

[@ja37d-34]

@@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.

[@ja37d-34]

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

[@trumanhw]

Haha.... at least he WARNED us that his uh .... call sign wasn't a very exciting story. :) (that was a bit of an 'ambien' ... maybe he didn't know wikipedia existed if we needed specs..? DEF. not the norm for TFPP !! )

[@bluejacketwarrior2457]

"Where can you find the Gripen in media?" Oddly enough I found out about it through Japanese Anime.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

😯

[@Fransbergquist]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJTXiqB8qc-HbpI Fast forward to 3:20 for some wonderful and strange aircraft action.

[@doer105]

Why did i just discover you now?

[@williamhall2386]

YAS 39!

[@couchfighter]

I JUST GOOGLED THE GUN HE WAS TALKING ABOUT . THAT IS A GREAT CANNON AND BUILT BY MAUSER

[@stevelikesrhino]

17:10 Then lead turned into the sun...

[@stephenfowler4115]

Stealth will increase the probability of dogfighting.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

This comes up on subsequent episodes...

[@fansaaap]

Happy new year and best wishes Jell-O

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Thanks, Mainstay!

[@speedpuppy638]

About engine failure; 0 engine failures in 150’000 logged flight hours.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

That’s amazing

[@grandmaster137]

Can the JAS39 beat the Russian Su-35?

[@MikaelGrev]

Yes.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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!

[@JorgenPersson-jo4sc]

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

[@annahl7591]

Jajjemen! :)

[@LRRPFco52]

Gripen costs more than the F-35A, with current estimated per unit cost on the Gripen E or NG at $85 million. The latest F-35 multi-year order brought the F-35A down under $80 million, and it will drop even more since the volume is so high.

[@RogerJL]

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

[@LRRPFco52]

@@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.

[@onlypeaceindeath]

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.

[@LRRPFco52]

@@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.

[@bengtandersson2649]

@@onlypeaceindeath Weapons to.

[@pwr2al4]

Bomber month is over thank God. Long live the fighter mafia!!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

That explains your icon!

[@USNRaptor]

Fighter pilots make movies; Bomber pilots make HISTORY !

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@USNRaptor]

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

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@Truth_Hurts528]

Thanks to Nelson Mandela’s ANC government tacking bribes from the Swedes we Saffers get to enjoy the sight of Gripens flying around here. That is when they can actually afford to get off the ground. Two flew low over my house a few years back.

[@crownlands7246]

two engines = twice the chance of engine failure

[@alexanderlarsen6412]

"the guest list is getting long" ...jan 3 2020

[@couchfighter]

VIDEO PLEASE! GOD DERN! PLEASE Watch a Rogan show..takes notes and get er done MERICA! Man please need to see you folks!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@MasterChief-sl9ro]

Thanks the United States.. Sweden got $Billions to build the radar system...That would listen in on the Soviets. They also monitored Submarines going and coming. They were the first to see the Rouge Russian Captain trying to steal a ship..But being Sweden was Neutral. They kept it hush hush for years....

[@antimonni]

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.

[@AlexKall]

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

[@peterpipkorn6939]

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

[@blakkmoon]

All the badest are Predacons :)

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

And 'Predacons' are...?

[@blakkmoon]

Desepticons, my misstake, Predacons are in another franchise

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@blakkmoon Oh, Transformers then?

[@blakkmoon]

@@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.

[@JorgenPersson-jo4sc]

RBS15 Gungnir kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5Cod4ltrtWHpKc

[@mariusfrost640]

It's always funny to listen to Americans react to social benefits as if they're crazy. In Canada, we get a year of parental leave. Since I won't ever have kids, I'm not a fan of paying for that, but it contributes to a more stable society. Americans often tout the US as being the greatest country on Earth, but that's just not the case, at least when you measure using human development as a metric. The US does certain things very well, but falls flat on it's face in other categories. When people can die in a hospital hallway because they can't afford care, that's a massive failure. Just because nature mandates survival of the fittest, doesn't mean we have to as well. There are those of us who are born with defects, we shouldn't be punished for them. I think the greatest country on Earth is the one where people care about each other the most.

[@Robert_Kawalec]

In Sweden MEN has a maternity leave...

[@maartineriksson]

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

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

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

[@Robert_Kawalec]

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

[@Robert_Kawalec]

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

[@maartineriksson]

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