Saab JAS 39 Gripen

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen, Swedish for Griffin, is a light single-engine supersonic multirole fighter made by the Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab AB, with a delta wing and canard layout, relaxed stability and fly-by-wire controls. In 1979 the Swedish government began studies for a combined fighter, attack and reconnaissance aircraft, the origin of the letters JAS, to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen. The first prototype flew on 9 December 1988, the first production aircraft was delivered in 1993 and it entered service with the Swedish Air Force in 1996. Export customers include nations in Central Europe, South Africa and Southeast Asia, and the redesigned JAS 39E and F, with a larger fuselage, a more powerful engine and an AESA radar, began deliveries to Sweden and Brazil in 2019.