Saab displays new flying test platform for Gripen

Gripen Demo, a new flying development platform for current and future generations of Gripen, is unvealed today for the first time. One of the new features is a completely new radar, that Saab is developing in collaboration with the French company Thales.

"We have equipped this aircraft with a new stronger engine and a completely new modular avionics system. The aircraft will have a greater payload and a longer range. In addition, Saab, together with Thales, will develop a completely new type of radar. The development will mean that Gripen will be able to maintain its position at the cutting edge of development for the next 30 - 40 years. Gripen Demo will fly for the first time during 2008," says Åke Svensson, CEO of Saab.

The flying test platform, Gripen Demo, will be used to introduce new technology and functions to Gripen. The new capabilities could be the basis for a totally new version and will be completely or partially integrated into current versions of Gripen.

The development of Gripen is done in collaboration with some of the world's leading companies within the aircraft industry: General Electric, Volvo Aero, Rockwell Collins, Honeywell, APPH, Terma, Martin-Baker and Meggitt. The latest in the line is Thales, which means that two of the world's leading radar developers are now collaborating to equip Gripen with the most advanced AESA radar technology (Active Electronically Scanned Array).