SAAB Navalized Gripen

[FighterJock]

Saab are still marketing the gripen maritime towards Brazil Grey Havoc, and they tried to get the Indian order as well but they lost out to the Rafale M.

 

[Ainen]

I wonder if SAAB is dusting off the plans for the naval Gripen right now.

Few things are as consistent as first carrier aircraft of their respective manufacturers being bad.

Saab doesn't even have anyone to help, nor it has a deck or land installation to work with.

For all my personal appreciation for the small fighter, even naval LCA is in a better position.

It was and will remain as a hopeless pitch. Until after Sweden will build it's own carrier.

 

[Archibald]

Rafale M and F-35 B/C are cornering that micro market.

 

[FighterJock]

And building their own aircraft carrier will probably be just far too expensive for Sweden at the moment Ainen unless they can somehow do a joint carrier project with Brazil.

 

[Jensy]

I'd be amazed if Sweden, even momentarily, considered fixed-wing naval aviation.

The majority of their coastline is effectively a 'lake', contained by Denmark on one side, then Finland, the Baltic States and Russia on the other.

The rather sizeable, upcoming, 120m Luleå-class "corvettes" are something of a step-change from the mixture of OPVs and small corvettes that make up their surface fleet.

That said, I do have a long-term fixation with a Sea Gripen, particularly if the Royal Navy go down the CATOBAR path for the QECs.

 

[FighterJock]

That I like the sound of Jensy, a Royal Navy Sea Gripen for the next aircraft carriers after the current QE class are retired.

 

[Ainen]

gripens entering service in 2060s?

 

[H_K]

That said, I do have a long-term fixation with a Sea Gripen, particularly if the Royal Navy go down the CATOBAR path for the QECs.

In the current geopolitical environment I don’t see anyone signing up for carriers of any type due to the dependency on US or Russian technology.

- STOVL carriers depend on F-35B
- STOBAR carriers depend on US AAG or Russian arrestor gears
- CATOBAR further depends on US EMALS catapults

Unless maybe someone could buy a license to the old (but proven) British technology? I.e. Steam catapults from Mitchell Brown, now Rolls Royce, and DAX arrestor gear from Mactaggart Scott…

 

[Jensy]

In the current geopolitical environment I don’t see anyone signing up for carriers of any type due to the dependency on US or Russian technology.

- STOVL carriers depend on F-35B
- STOBAR carriers depend on US AAG or Russian arrestor gears
- CATOBAR further depends on US EMALS catapults

Unless maybe someone could buy a license to the old British technology? (Steam catapults from Mitchell Brown, now Rolls Royce, and DAX arrestor gear from Mactaggart Scott)

I'd be curious what happened to the GE Converteam EMCAT concept from a decade plus ago, and who owns the IP...

I seem to remember SAAB were also pitching a STOBAR capability for 'Sea Gripen', so maybe could make do with 'traps' but not 'cats'?

 

[Lordarpad]

I wonder if SAAB is dusting off the plans for the naval Gripen right now.

Why? What am I missing?