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Yes, this is designed to work with absolutely minimal infrastructure and very few trained personnel, very much unlike the F-16, which requires sophisticated equipment, not to mention hydrazine, which is truly nasty stuff and cannot be handled in the field.
Gripen is what Ukraine desperately needs. You can literally refuel and re-arm it at the roadside in a forest with three trucks and 6 people, 5 of which can be conscripts.
You can literally refuel and re-arm it at the roadside in a forest with three trucks and 6 people, 5 of which can be conscripts.
That's incredible.
Edit: I can't believe we went with the F-35 instead of our own domestic Gripen supply chain. I get what Ottawa was thinking, but I think history will show putting yet more eggs in the America basket was dumb.
Gripens may not be the best (and nowadays not the most modern) jets, but that was one of the design features Sweden took as a reason to develop their own jet.
The theoretical possibility of getting invaded and losing their primary infrastructure (being a rather neutral country up to their application for NATO last year...) was a reason they wanted a jet with good short-field performance that can be easily supplied by dispersed small bases.
They basically started designing a jet 50 years ago exactly for today's Ukraine scenario. Being invaded and only getting limited international support because neighbours (and NATO members) would stop at measures that would make them a direct participant in that war.
They basically started designing a jet 50 years ago exactly for today’s Ukraine scenario. Being invaded and only getting limited international support because neighbors (and NATO members) would stop at measures that would make them a direct participant in that war.
Wow, I've never thought about it that way but you're right. The main difference I guess is that Ukraine is actually way more populous.
Swedish military doctrine also empowers commanders to take independent action on when to engage, since it is to be assumed that in the event of war the political and military leadership would be either taken out or infiltrated.
That's one of the reasons the Swedish led Operation Bøllebank could engage the Serbian army, whereas the Dutch were forced to ask their leadership for permission to engage and never got it, leading to the Srebrenica massacre.
TIL about Bøllebank, but I'm having trouble finding information about Dutchbat and Srebrenica. The Wikipedia states that the people who denied air strikes were non-Dutch and makes it sound like the Dutch were just unequipped to strike back to start with. I'd read "Srebrenica: a 'safe' area", which is the conclusive review, but it's a giant tome that doesn't appear to be very digitally accessible.
The Dutch military was under equipped due to the government dictating the equipment instead leaving that to the military. As a result they couldn't do much, plus relied on air strikes. I think the point that was made is an interesting one.
whereas the Dutch were forced to ask their leadership for permission to engage and never got it, leading to the Srebrenica massacre
The Dutch also didn't have enough firepower. Political decision that keeping the peace works best if you're heavily under equipped.
They basically started designing a jet 50 years ago
This became the Viggen (development actually started over 60 years ago), with some help from the US, especially for the engine, which is basically a P&W JT8D with afterburner. Still a very impressive STOL-capable Mach-2 fighter jet, one of the very few with thrust reversers.
The Gripen is the 4th-gen successor, with much of the original design parameters retained, but with modern "relaxed stability"-aerodynamics for higher agility, and digital avionics.
Good idea - give them as many as possible
Yeah, this would fit their needs well. Generous of Sweden to do this since they actually have a threat to their national security (the Kremlin).
It's not done yet. But it's a bit of cheeky way to be able to justify the purchase of more Gripen-E to replace the ones "given" away to Ukraine.
Gripen would be the perfect plane for Ukraine. It does exactly what they need. A plane that's nimble, lightweight. Can take off from reinforced roads. And need a very small crew to re-arm and re-fuel that can all be mobile.
You're never tied down to a specific airfield. Or an airfield at all.
I wonder if Putin calculates that he should continue this idiotic war in the hope that trump is elected. Because without trump fucking up NATO and the broad Western alliance, russia is supremely fucked.