While multiple fleet replacement issues were already leading the Swedish Air Force toward a busy procurement period, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought even more vigour to the air force’s modernisation plans.
As the Swedish Air Force (SwAF) entered the 2020s it already had multiple fleet replacement issues ahead, but Russia’s February 2022 all-out invasion of Ukraine served as a catalyst to not only advance its modernisation efforts but also enhance its combat capabilities.
Moreover, with Sweden having officially become NATO’s 32nd member on 7 March 2024, as a direct consequence of Russia’s belligerence, the SwAF will also now integrate its capabilities even more closely with its alliance allies.
The Gripen force
The fast jet combat fleet of the Swedish Air Force (SwAF) currently comprises 71 Saab Gripen C (JAS39C) fighters and 23 Gripen D (JAS39D) fighter/conversion trainers of 75 and 25 delivered respectively from 2004.
In February 2013, however, the Swedish government decided that the SwAF would acquire 60 Gripen E (JAS39E) next-generation fighters. This was originally to be through upgrading Gripen C/Ds, but it was subsequently decided that the Gripen C/Ds would be retained to preserve the mass of the SwAF, while the Gripen Es would be new-build aircraft. On 24 November 2021, Saab announced that the first six pre-production Gripen Es were ready to be delivered to the SwAF and the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which in October 2014 had ordered 28 single-seat Gripen Es and eight dual-seat Gripen Fs under a deal that is seeing the aircraft co-produced by Brazil’s Embraer.
In April 2022 the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) announced that all of the SwAF’s Gripen C/Ds would be upgraded to keep them operationally relevant until 2035. At this point the plan was to retain 40 Gripen C/Ds in SwAF service alongside the 60 Gripen Es for a total fleet of 100 Gripen C/D/Es, but in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine it was subsequently decided that 60 Gripen C/Ds would be retained.
It has even been suggested by sources close to the Gripen programme that even more Gripen C/D might be kept in service. However, Brigadier General Tommy Petersson, Deputy Commander of the Swedish Air Force, could not confirm these rumours. Speaking to gathered journalists on 17 May 2024, during a Saab press trip to witness Gripen dispersed operations near Såtenäs Air Base, the general said of the official 60+60 position, “I think that is still the plan. We have roughly 100 Gripens today and we will increase that to 120 with 60 [Gripen Es] and 60 C and D models, so I think that is still the plan, but we will have a new defence decision for the coming five-year period here this year, so that will probably be part of that, but it’s my guess that it will stay that way.”
The Gripen E
The SwAF’s Skaraborg Wing (F7) at Såtenäs Air Base, which hosts two operational fighter squadrons and a training squadron, will be the first wing to operate the Gripen E.
According to Petersson, “We’ll start with one squadron and we hope to start flight operations the first or second quarter next year here at Satanas. It will be limited scale, of course, since it’s a new system and there will be a limited number of airframes and so on, but the plan is to start building the flight experience, the technical knowledge and experience and so on in parallel, so we hope to produce a few 100 hours of flight time during next year and initial operational capability will come perhaps a year later or so.”
“We have [Gripen E] instructor pilots in Brazil, helping the Brazilian Air Force, and so we will bring at least one guy home from Brazil and then we will train two pilots this autumn at Saab and FMV,” the general said, providing three main Gripen E instructors. Petersson added, “And then, of course, they will train a few more and so I guess we will have – depending a little bit on availability and so on, on the aircraft and how many hours we can produce – perhaps five, six pilots at the end of next year.”
Compared to its C/D-model predecessors, the Gripen E is billed by Saab as having 30/30/30 capabilities: 30% more fuel (with ‘wet’ wings), giving a 4,000 km ferry range; 30% (or more accurately 25%) more payload-carrying capacity (with 10 pylons instead of eight: six on the wings, three under the belly plus an additional pylon under the forward fuselage for a reconnaissance/laser designator pod); and 30% more power with its General Electric F414-GE-39E afterburning turbofan. Consequently, the Gripen E is larger and heavier than the C/D, with a wingspan of 8.6 m compared to 8.4 m for the Gripen C/D and an empty weight of 8,000 kg compared to 6,800 kg for the Gripen C/D.
Most significantly, however, the Gripen E has a highly integrated sensor suite featuring a Leonardo Raven ES-05 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to replace the PS-05/A radar of the C/D, an infra-red search and track sensor and Saab’s Arexis electronic warfare suite to deliver enhanced survivability and situational awareness.
Like the Gripen C/Ds before it, the Gripen E will be armed with a 27 mm Rheinmetall (Mauser) BK27 automatic cannon and be able to carry a range of air-launched weapons, including IRIS-T, AIM-9 Sidewinder and A-Darter short-range air-to-air missiles; Meteor and AIM-120 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles; the Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missile (ALCM); the RBS15 anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM); and a variety of freefall munitions such as the GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb, GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb and standard Mk 82 bomb.
However, drawing a lesson from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the SwAF is now also looking to acquire a long-range air-to-ground capability for its Gripen force. This is “not something that we have now”, Brig Gen Petersson noted, “so I think it will be in the defence budget. That will come later this year in December, [when] I think we’ll have a new decision, and I think that will be one of the things that we will see then in development for the air force’s capabilities.”
Saab literature notes that the Gripen E is set to receive MBDA’s Selective Precision Effects At Range (SPEAR) range of next-generation surface attack weapons to offer a precision strike capability at long stand-off ranges.
A key attribute of the Gripen E touted by Saab executives is the ease with which it can accommodate software updates, with Saab having separated tactical software from flight-critical software within the same onboard computers. Johan Segertoft, head of the Gripen business unit at Saab, told journalists at Saab’s HQ in Linkoping on 20 May 2024, “We have separated every software application from any other software application. We have separated every software from the hardware, so currently there are 800 software applications running in Gripen E and we can add, modify, delete them and fly the same day.”
In an individual week, noted Segertoft, Saab is releasing up to 10 software flying configurations in the Gripen E, “and that speed matters”, he added.
Segertoft said of the developmental Gripen Es, “We basically see them as a production unit that can answer questions. And then it’s just the matter of which question do we want to ask? And we asked that and we fly it. … The whole idea around the heart of Gripen E is to provide it with all the data there is.”
Continued development
Meanwhile, Saab continues to improve the Gripen C/D, enhancing the type’s combat capabilities while making the transition to the Gripen E easier.
On 12 September 2023 Saab announced that it had entered into an agreement with the Swedish FMV regarding new functionality and adjusted delivery schedules for the Gripen E and Gripen C/D. The agreement, which is worth approximately SEK 5.8 billion and covers the period from 2023 to 2030, revised an existing agreement regarding development and production of the Gripen E by adding new functionality, which includes changes to the aircraft’s electronic warfare, communications and reconnaissance systems, as well as changes to the delivery schedules for the Gripen E and Gripen C/D.
On 12 April 2023 and 24 October 2023, meanwhile, Saab announced that it had received SEK 308 million and SEK 579 million orders respectively from the Swedish FMV “to ensure the continued operation and capability enhancement of the Gripen C/D”. These orders include designing new development, maintenance and simulation environments for the Gripen C/D as well as developing new support systems that will facilitate the harmonisation of the Gripen C/D and Gripen E for the SwAF.
These contracts were call-offs from an existing framework agreement with the FMV, originally communicated on 16 December 2022, that was said at the time to be worth approximately SEK 3.5 billion and covered the period from 2023 to 2029. The Gripen C/D enhancements under this framework agreement, Saab stated, “will provide Sweden with a more effective and powerful fighter capability. The aircraft will be equipped with a new version of the engine, which will enhance flight performance. A more effective electronic warfare system will also be introduced and the upgrade will create conditions for increased attack capability with a new payload.”
Saab added that the framework agreement “encompasses an upgrade to Saab’s latest fighter radar, which provides increased performance with emphasis on enhanced fighter capability and extended detection and tracking range. It also includes an upgraded and future-proof avionic system, which, among other features, enables fast software updates of the sensor function.”
Additional contracts have also been received that cover the integration of systems such as target designator pods for the Gripen fleet.
On 24 April 2024 Saab announced that it had received a SEK 540 million order from the Swedish FMV to support future development of the Gripen system throughout the 2024 business year. This order from the FMV, an extension of an existing contract, enables continued development of the Gripen for the SwAF and other Gripen users around the world. It includes operation and support of test aircraft and sophisticated equipment, such as rigs and simulators, that will be used when Saab develops new future capabilities for the Gripen C/D as well as the Gripen E, along with upgrades for existing systems.
Beyond the Gripen E
Following the launch in 2018 of the United Kingdom’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, in July 2019 Sweden signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UK that committed both governments to working on a joint combat air development and acquisition programme. Then, on 21 December 2020, Sweden joined the UK and Italy in signing an FCAS MoU on researching and developing a sixth-generation combat aircraft that by then was being called Tempest.
However, by the time the FCAS/Tempest effort formally transitioned into becoming the UK-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) on 9 December 2022, Sweden had effectively reversed out of the project. There are multiple reasons for this, with an obvious one being Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which irrevocably changed the military-geopolitical landscape in Europe.
Meanwhile, Saab’s development of the Gripen E has put Sweden somewhat ‘out of sync’ with the timelined future fighter requirements of the UK, Italy and Japan, who under GCAP are looking to put a Tempest aircraft in the air by 2035.
The advent of the Gripen E, however, does afford Sweden a window of ‘thinking space’ to ultimately decide between the two alternatives: join an international next-generational combat aircraft programme, most obviously GCAP, as a partner; or go it alone with a next-generation programme, thus preserving Sweden’s strategic capability as one of the very few European countries able to produce its own fighter platforms.
The Swedish FMV is therefore hedging its bets for now by issuing future fighter study contracts to Saab. On 1 June 2022 Saab announced that it had received an FMV order worth around SEK 250 million covering a study of future combat air capabilities. “The study is preparatory in nature and its purpose is to widen the work on how future combat air capabilities can be developed and realised,” Saab said at the time.
Then, on 22 March 2024, Saab announced that it had received an FMV order “regarding conceptual studies for future fighter systems” with a contract period of 2024-2025. This order “includes conceptual studies of manned and unmanned solutions in a system of system perspective, technology development and demonstrations”, the company stated.
Notwithstanding the substantial revenues that would come Saab’s way if Sweden were to stand up a future national combat aircraft programme, the company has remained studiously neutral regarding which way the FMV might eventually go, simply stating that it “will continue delivering innovative solutions to meet the future operational needs of the Swedish armed forces and other customers”.
The SwAF leadership, though obviously also having an opinion, is likewise keeping its own counsel, with Brig Gen Petersson declining to be drawn on the likelihood of Sweden going it alone with a next-generation combat aircraft. Pressed by ESD on whether he had a personal opinion on the matter, the general replied with a smile, “Do I have a personal opinion? Hell yes. But am I going to tell you? Hell no!” – a response that could arguably be perceived as being in favour of a Swedish combat air platform beyond the Gripen E.
Transport aircraft
With regard to its transport platforms, the SwAF now has an urgent need to replace the five Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules (Tp84) transport aircraft and one KC-130H (Tp84T) tanker that it still operates out of an original fleet of eight delivered from the 1960s.
In mid-2022 the SwAF rejected its initial plan to conduct a mid-life update (MLU) of the C-130H fleet, determining that this would leave too few airframes in service while the MLU was carried out. Instead, the air force looked to acquire used C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the Italian Air Force, but in early 2023 the SwAF also rejected this plan after an analysis concluded that the deal would not meet its requirements.
Brig Gen Petersson stated on 17 May that the SwAF would like to retire its Hercules fleet “as soon as possible”, adding, “We’d like to keep them, but we definitely need to replace them. And we are hoping to have a decision on that this year before the summer hopefully.”
While the acquisition of new or used C-130Js would bring the SwAF type commonality with a number of its NATO allies, the relationship Saab has with Brazil’s Embraer on the Gripen E programme suggests that procurement of the latter’s C-390 Millennium transport, which also offers an aerial refuelling capability, could be an option. The C-390 also has a payload capacity of 26,000 kg, compared to 19,051 kg for the C-130J or 21,183 kg for the stretched C-130J-30.
In Europe the C-390 has already been selected by Portugal, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the Netherlands.
AEW&C platforms
The SwAF also now has a pressing need to recapitalise its fleet of airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.
Since 2004 the SwAF has operated a fleet of two Saab S100D Argus/ASC 890 AEW&C platforms, which are based on the Saab 340 twin-turboprop and feature the Erieye AESA radar system, but on 30 June 2022 a contract was placed with Saab for two S106 GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft, with an option for an additional two. This platform, which is based on the Bombardier Global 6000-series business jet, features the Erieye Extended Range (ER) radar, which has a range of more than 550 km.
On 24 May 2024, however, the Swedish government announced that, as part of a major Swedish military assistance package for Ukraine, the SwAF’s two currently serving ASC 890s would be gifted to Kyiv. The Swedish government acknowledged at the time that its AEW&C aircraft donation “will entail a temporary decrease of Sweden’s defence capability” and that this “will be managed through the acquisition of an additional GlobalEye aircraft and the bringing forward of an order already placed for two new GlobalEye aircraft”.
A Saab statement issued on 27 June 2024 announced that it had that day signed a SEK 2.6 billion contract with the FMV for the delivery of a third GlobalEye platform, with the delivery period stated as 2024-2029.
The first Global 6500 aircraft destined to become a GlobalEye AEW&C platform was delivered on 25 January 2024 to Saab Aircraft’s facilities at Linköping, where it will undergo extensive modifications and be equipped with the Erieye ER radar. The SwAF’s first two S 106 GlobalEye platforms were originally scheduled to be delivered in 2027, but this is now likely to happen sooner.
A new fighter training regime
On 19 December 2023 the flying school (Luftstridsskolan) of the SwAF conducted the air force’s traditional ‘Christmas Tree Flight’ with a dozen Saab 105 (Sk60) twinjet trainers. The flight was effectively the swansong for the Saab 105s, which were then retired at the end of June 2024 after more than 60 years of service in the SwAF. The only other user of the type, the Austrian Air Force, retired its Saab 105s on 31 December 2020, after 50 years of service.
To replace the SwAF’s fast jet pilot training capability, in May 2021 the Swedish FMV ordered seven Grob G 120TP twin-seat turboprop aircraft to operate as basic trainers for the SwAF, where they are designated Sk40s. The first fighter pilot students to fly the Sk40 will begin their training in August 2024.
After their basic flight training, Swedish pilot trainees are now sent to the International Flight Training School (IFTS) in Italy, where they learn to fly fast jets using a fleet of 22 Leonardo M-346 advanced jet trainers. This training regime for SwAF pilots began in early 2024 under an agreement that currently runs for up to 10 years.
Returning to Sweden, SwAF pilots then conduct the necessary amount of hours on simulators before taking control of a Gripen. Unlike the Brazilian Air Force, the SwAF has no plans to procure two-seat Gripen Fs, determining that the Gripen is easy enough to fly for pilots with their fast jet training behind them to go directly from Gripen simulators to the real aircraft.
The rest of the fleet
Regarding rotary-wing assets, the Swedish Armed Forces Helicopter Wing operates a fleet of 18 NH90 (TTH) helicopters (consisting of 13 NH90 tactical troop transport/search-and-rescue (Hkp14A) helicopters and five search-and-rescue/anti-submarine warfare (Hkp14B) helicopters), 20 AW109M (Hkp15A) light utility helicopters and 15 UH-60M Black Hawk (Hkp16A) medium-lift helicopters.
However, following issues with NH90 delivery delays and performance concerns, on 1 November 2022 the Swedish armed forces announced that the country would replace its NH90 fleet, having ordered the 15 Black Hawks in 2011 to mitigate the NH90 issues. The plan at the time was to acquire more Black Hawks/Seahawks, with the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announcing on 29 May 2024 that a Swedish acquisition of 12 UH-60Ms had been approved under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) regime, although a firm contract has yet to be announced.
The rest of the SwAF fleet consists of two Gulfstream IV-based S102B Korpen electronic intelligence aircraft, a Saab 340 transport aircraft and a Saab 340 configured for ‘Open Skies’ missions.
Holding an ACE: the SwAF’s dispersed operations
On 17 May 2024, during a Saab press trip to the SwAF’s Skaraborg Wing (F7) at Såtenäs Air Base, gathered journalists were able to witness Gripen fighters conducting dispersed operations from highways in the vicinity of the base.
While the SwAF is not the only air force to mount such operations – which NATO terms Agile Combat Employment (ACE) – the Gripen is arguably the only conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) fast jet than can land onto and take off from a section of highway measuring just 700 × 17 m.
Beyond the aircraft themselves the SwAF’s dispersed operations require just a two-person air traffic control (ATC) team, usually reservists who work in ATC positions in their civilian lives, plus teams of one full-time technician and two mechanics, who could be conscripts, to refuel and re-arm each Gripen: a process that can be achieved in around 15 minutes.
Discussing the operations with the gathered journalists, Brigadier General Tommy Petersson, Deputy Commander of the Swedish Air Force, noted that SwAF fighter units conduct them perhaps two to three times a year.
Explaining the tactical value of the capability, and consequent enthusiasm for it from Sweden’s NATO partners, Brig Gen Petersson stated, “We see a huge interest from all the other allies to learn and see how we do this because I think Ukraine has made it quite clear that you need to be able to move your resources to survive.
“I think that what you saw in the first 24 hours in Ukraine was that everything that was in fixed locations was targeted, and targeted with sufficient precision, but everything that was moved 24 hours or less before the assault was not, so air defence systems and aircraft that were movable – and were moved – survived, and the rest got it.”
