Gripen E smart fighter jet makes first test flight
NewsJune 19, 2017
LINGKOPING, Sweden. Saab reports that it has completed a successful first flight of its next-generation multirole smart fighter, the Gripen E.
The aircraft left from Saab's airfield in Linköping, Sweden -- helmed by Saab test pilot Marcus Wandt -- and flew over the eastern parts of Östergötland for 40 minutes. During the flight, the aircraft carried out a number of actions to demonstrate various test criteria, including the retracting and extending of the landing gear.
Saab says that its $85 million Gripen E (or Gripen E/F variant) carries a new avionics suite and software that allows it to be modified at short notice without extensive layovers. It includes network-centric warfare (NCW) technology for advanced data communications, dual data links, satellite communications, and video links. It is also fully NATO-interoperable.
