Gripen Demonstrator – The Future has Arrived!

[Updated] Today in Linköping, Sweden, Saab and its powerful network of leading international aerospace partners, proudly unveiled the first of the next generation of combat fighters, the Gripen Demonstrator aircraft.

4/23/2008 | In an event attended by over 700 international guests which was broadcast ‘live’ around the world, the Gripen Demonstrator (Demo) aircraft was ‘rolled-out’ in a spectacular ceremony in front of the world’s media.

The Gripen Demonstrator programme is the pathfinder for a whole new generation of technologies and capabilities to ensure that Gripen remains at the leading edge of fighter aircraft performance and capability well beyond 2040. The programme includes the development of a new Gripen test flying platform - Gripen Demo - and the Gripen Avionics Rig. The Gripen Demo includes new features such as the General Electric F414G Turbofan engine with increased thrust, a new Saab/Thales active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar, increased fuel capacity for extended range, improved landing gear, increased weapons and stores capabilities, advanced communications and defensive systems and world-beating avionics structures.

Saab CEO Åke Svensson who hosted the Gripen Demo roll-out event said:

“This is a landmark event for Saab and its international industrial partners and a significant moment in the future of fighter aircraft technology and performance. I am very proud of what we have achieved and am confident that this next generation of Gripen will be trail-blazing the skies for years to come”.

Gripen International Managing Director Johan Lehander, who leads the Gripen team responsible for marketing, selling and supporting the Gripen fighter worldwide, is confident that the Gripen Demo aircraft is the start of the Gripen story for the next 40 years.

“We are standing on the edge of a new era. The Gripen Demonstrator programme is not just the first step towards a new Gripen, it is driving the development of new technology for existing and potential Gripen customers. We have concentrated on the key strategic performance and capability areas. That includes the aircraft sensors, communications fit, weapons load, self-protection systems, range and engine performance. But we also need to build and deliver a system that remains affordable. In the coming years Gripen will find itself in a league of its own when it comes to costs, particularly long-term life cycle costs. We are already delivering systems and capabilities that our competitors still can only offer as promises. In the years to come Gripen will get even more advanced, even more sophisticated while staying every bit as affordable as it is now. We understand cost control”.

“We want everyone, the customers and the industrial team, to be proud to belong to this programme. We are a reliable supplier and we are an independent supplier. We always deliver what we promise – both in terms of the aircraft system and the entire spread of industrial co-operation and offset provision. You can be confident in Gripen for the next 40 years and be very secure in your relationship with Saab and with Sweden.”

Investment in the Demonstrator programme is being made by Saab and its international industrial partners, as well as potential future customers. In April 2007, Norway signed a Letter of Agreement regarding the future development of Gripen, valued at around USD 25 million, and in October 2007 the Swedish government also awarded a contract to Saab for the Demo programme. These decisions represent a significant national and international government investment and commitment to Gripen’s future.

General Electric together with Volvo Aero, Thales, Honeywell, Rockwell Collins, APPH, Martin-Baker, Terma and Meggit are just some of the world-leading aerospace companies that, together with Saab, are jointly investing in the Gripen Demonstrator programme. This combination of international corporate partnership and national and international commitment, through a jointly funded industry and government investment programme, is a very powerful testament to Gripen’s future.

Notes to Editors:

Saab
Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers´ changing needs.

Gripen

Gripen is the first of the new generation, multi-role combat aircraft to enter service. Using the latest available technology it is capable of performing an extensive range of air-to-air and air-to-surface operational missions and employing the latest weapons. Gripen is designed to meet the demands of current and future threats, while at the same time meeting strict requirements for flight safety, reliability, training efficiency and low operating costs. Gripen is in service with the Swedish, Czech Republic and Hungarian Air Forces and has also been ordered by South Africa and Thailand. The UK Empire Test Pilots´ School (ETPS) is operating Gripen as its advanced fast jet training platform for test pilots worldwide.

Webcast/Video Coverage:
To mark this significant aviation milestone and for those who cannot attend the event, you need not miss any of the action as we will be broadcasting the main events in a special ‘live’ webcast to our websites. The webcast begins at 11.00 (CET) and will be broadcast on www.gripen.com and www.saabgroup.com. Edited video highlights packages will also be available on our websites during the afternoon on 23 April.

The Saab team will be filming the entire Gripen Demo Roll-Out event, and we are pleased to offer TV stations and online media agencies the opportunity to directly download video footage of this landmark event.
Progressively during the day we will be loading edited highlights of the different aspects of todays event in a format which will allow video editors to cut their own footage. At the end of the event (around 16.00 CET), we will also load a complete edited highlights package of the day.

We hope this new video service is helpful to you. In the event that you have any technical questions regarding the format of the video or the downloading process, please contact Jonas Tillgren on +46 734 180 015.

Photographs:
High, medium and low resolution photos of the Gripen Demo Roll-Out event will be published to our website www.gripen.com, progressively from 12.45 during the day. Go to our Gripen Image Base (GIB) and then click on the ‘New Images’ section.

Printed Material:
To mark this landmark event, the Saab Gripen team has produced a special issue of its popular magazine ‘Gripen News’. ‘Gripen News Special Edition-Gripen Demo’ (23 April 2008), features an exclusive insight into the Gripen Demo programme with a comprehensive review of the key technical and programme features, an exclusive interview with Gripen International MD Johan Lehander and the chance to get up close and personal with Gripen Demo Chief Test Pilot Mikael Seidl. The magazine can be viewed and downloaded from our website www.gripen.com. Go to the link on the Gripen Demo front page story or alternatively go to the ‘Publications/Gripen News‘ section.