The Gripen is widely recognized for its maneuverability, air-to-air combat capabilities, and versatility.

As part of Colombia’s drive to boost its aerial defense, Bogota is opting to procure up to two dozen fighter jets from Sweden’s Saab manufacturer. Colombian president Gustavo Petro revealed that the Gripen E/F fighters were selected earlier this week in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). Sweden’s minister of defense, Pal Jonson, responded to the announcement on X, adding “It is gratifying that President Petro has announced that Colombia is choosing the Gripen as its fighter jet … Negotiations will now begin.” Considered to be a 4.5-generation platform, the Gripen is widely recognized for its maneuverability, air-to-air combat capabilities, and versatility. The Gripen is arguably Sweden’s most impressive fighter platform to date. Colombia’s desire to fly the jet is representative of its popularity across the globe.

An Overview of the Gripen

When the Swedish Air Force needed to replace its then-aging Saab 35 Draken and Saab 37 Viggen platforms, several domestic proposals as well as foreign alternatives were considered. Designs including the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Dassault Mirage 2000, and the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Super Hornet were all weighed by Swedish officials, but ultimately a new platform built from the ground up by local manufacturer Saab was selected. The Air Force required a jet with a short-field ability, able to land on runways as short as 2,600 feet long. The JAS 39 was created to fulfill the service’s defense obligations.

The Gripen is compatible with a vast range of armaments, including the AIM-9 Sidewinder, the RBS-15 anti-ship missile, the 27mm Mauser BK-27 cannon, and the MBDA Meteor missile. Air Force Technology has detailed other specs pertaining to the Gripen’s armament power. According to the outlet, the platform’s internally mounted 27mm Mauser high-energy gun can operate in an automatic radar-guided aiming mode.

If Colombia does end up procuring Gripen E/Fs, its Air Force will be equipped with the newer variant of the fighter series. The E/F models possess larger fuselages that accommodate around 30 percent more fuel than preceding variants. The General Electric F414 engine powers the new Gripen planes, also making the E/Fs faster. In terms of sensors and avionics, the newer variants are equipped with cutting-edge features like the Saab Electronic Warfare System, featuring a 360-degree spherical Missile Approach Warning System.

Also detailed by The War Zone is the Gripen E/F’s impressive avionics architecture, “designed to enable the rapid insertion of new hardware and updated software applications to take on new missions. Customers are also able to design and develop their own software, to introduce new technologies and systems to keep pace with ever-evolving threats.”

Tallying up all the Gripen E/F’s capabilities, it is arguably fair to say the 4.5-generation platform is on par with its fifth-generation near-peers like the American-made F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II fighters. The addition of the Gripen to Colombia’s aerial arsenal will bode well for the South American nation’s defense.

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 by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.

Image: Honza123 / Shutterstock.com

The post Colombia Opts to Procure Sweden’s Saab Gripen Fighter appeared first on The National Interest.