Ukraine War BREAKING NEWS: Gripen Training!
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"If they started participating in familiarisation training, then that is really significant."
Hello Team!
Jonathan shares some breaking news that came out after he finished recording his main news update videos. Ukrainian pilots have already started participating in familiarization training on Swedish JAS-39 Gripen fighters, as agreed upon earlier this year. President Zelensky announced this at a press conference following negotiations with the Swedish Prime Minister. They also discussed future steps regarding the possibility of transferring Gripens to Ukraine.
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Advantages of Gripens for Ukraine
Jonathan had previously speculated that the Swedes giving permission and talking about training Ukrainian pilots on Gripens would be pointless unless they actually intended to provide the jets to Ukraine at some point. He shares key points from a January article discussing why Gripens would be suitable for Ukraine:
- Gripens are cost-effective and designed to operate in rugged, cold conditions with limited maintenance - ideal for Ukraine's situation
- They have a smaller radar cross-section than F-16s which is an important advantage
- The canards (small wings near the cockpit) allow for better maneuverability, lift, air braking, and the ability to take off and land on short, crude runways
- In a 2015 exercise, older model Thai Gripens reportedly defeated Chinese J-11 fighters (based on Russian Su-27s) 41 to 9 in beyond-visual-range combat, likely due to Gripens' superior situational awareness with their radar detecting targets from much farther away
- Gripens can fire long-range air-to-air missiles that would provide an advantage over current Russian capabilities
Obstacles and Alternatives to Providing Gripens
The main obstacle to giving Ukraine Gripens is that Sweden only has 84 C/D models in service, so they would have to give up a significant portion of their active fleet. This could be offset if Sweden purchases new E models to replace them. Comparatively, with over 4,600 F-16s manufactured, there is an abundance of airframes, pilot training capacity, repair depots and spare parts inventories across many countries. The US-made jets are seen as an easier option logistically, despite some performance disadvantages compared to Gripens. F-16s also have 50% higher operating costs.
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Wrap up
Jonathan notes this Gripen development is significant but not unexpected. It's encouraging news, especially given the reported delays in the US providing F-16s to Ukraine. He invites viewers to share their thoughts on this update.
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