SAAB GETS SERIOUS

Gripen for Canada?  That sounds familiar...
It's happening.

After years of uncertainty, we now know that the Saab Gripen is a serious contender in the contest to replace the CF-18.

This may not seem like big news.  The Gripen has long been mentioned alongside other potential contenders like the F-35 and Super Hornet.  This humble writer has been extolling the Gripen's virtues for years.

So what is different now?

Saab has made it official.  After years of little to mention on its website, Canada now has a dedicated subsection.

Saab has also made a much more prominent appearance at this years CANSEC.  Not only do we have a media brief that focuses on Canada's needs, but Saab has a full size mock-up of the Gripen E on display.

That digicam tho...
Media briefings and mock-ups help raise awareness of the platform, but Saab has a long way to go before it can catch up to more established players like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Airbus.  What does a (relatively) small contractor like Saab have to offer that the others do not?

For one, Saab is focusing on the Gripen's typical strengths of cost efficiency, flexibility, and suitability for Arctic operations.  No surprise there.

But wait...  There's more.

Saab has committed to assemble Gripens in Canada.  

 This give the Gripen a huge leg up in a contest that places a great deal of emphasis on industrial offsets and technology transfer.  It is a deal that Lockheed Martin and Boeing simply could not do.  Airbus has previously hinted that it may be able do this, but it would be difficult given the Typhoon's convoluted supply-chain and manufacturing process.

For Saab, building Gripens in Canada is a win-win scenario.  Not only does is entice a potential buyer, it takes some pressure off Saab's current Gripen assembly line, which has its hands full constructing fighters for Sweden, Brazil, and others.  Brazil has already taken advantage of Saab's offer to build fighters there.  If it makes economic sense to construct a small number (28 possibly more) of Gripens in Brazil, it certainly makes sense for Canada.

Beyond the economics, there is the simple matter of national pride that would come with Canada building its own fighters again.  Something that has not happened since...  What was that fighter called again?

 The real question:  If Canada selects the Gripen, what do we call it?  We already have a Griffon helicopter, so a direct translation would not work.

A Canadian-made, delta-wing, mach 2 fighter?

Just call it the CF-39 Arrow II.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE REAL REASON THE GRIPEN LOST...

Image
  For those of you wondering how Saab lost the FFCP competition, new information has come to light... According inside sources, the initial scoring of the two fighters was incredibly close.  The F-35 did indeed win the "Capability" category (worth up to 60%) while the Gripen E ended up being ahead on both price (worth 20%) and industrial offsets (worth the remaining 20%).   According to my source April Furst, who is currently serving an internship in the House of Commons.  The ultimate decision was made rather hastily while the final scores were being tallied up.   "Due to COVID restrictions and renovations, the FFCP committee were forced to convene in a remote office located in the basement of the Parliament building.  You could tell it wasn't used very often.  Lots of cobwebs, and the whole place smelled musty and moldy.   "The committee members were doing their thing, going down each individual line of the respective offers.  It was actually pretty close, by
Read more

FINAL THOUGHTS

Image
  So…. Now what? The process is still far from over but what is left is mostly mundane and bureaucratic.  Stuff like finalizing costs, delivery dates, etc. Hopefully, Canada can now focus it procurement efforts on  revitalizing the rest of the Canadian Armed Forces.  With fighters and frigates out of the way; it’s high time we look into replacing our submarines, MRTTs, and other.  Recent lessons from the war in Ukraine has also made it clear that UCAVs are the future of warfare.  Canada best catch up. Was all this for nothing?  No.  I do not believe so.  Even though Canada is still choosing the F-35, it is doing so in a much more rational way.  We have taken the time to evaluate our needs.  Taken a clear look at the options.  We have arrived at a decision removed from political whim.  Ultimately, Canada is getting a lot more aircraft than initially planned.  We are also getting later build F-35s.  Now, more of the kinks are out.  These newer aircraft should be both more reliable and mo
Read more

Fighter Jet Fight Club: Gripen NG vs. Super Hornet!

Image
I will be honest...  I have been dreading this installment of Fighter Jet Fight Club.  I tend to root for the underdog in any competition, but what happens when underdogs have to compete against each other?  Both of these aircraft have a 0-2 record for FJFC, yet both are clearly crowd favorites in the comment section. Our contestants today are two of the biggest value propositions in the fighter world today.  Both are "modernized" versions of aircraft that have been flying since the 80s.  Neither make promises of being the most dominant force in the skies, but they do promise a "90%" solution at "50%" of the cost.  Most importantly, both aircraft are "tried and true" designs that have provided years of faithful service.  Despite this, they are often overlooked in favor of newer, flashier aircraft like the F-35 Lightning II. Which aircraft will see redemption here today? Just remember the rules . Air-to-Ground: Infiltration/Pe
Read more