The first flight of the Saab 39 took place in 1988; the current version JAS 39C/D has been in service with the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) since 2005. In addition, the air forces of South Africa, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Brazil and Thailand fly Gripen. The United Kingdom’s Empire Test Pilots School also operates a Gripen for training purposes.

The Saab 39 is available as a single- and two-seater. In addition, Gripen meets the requirements for high reliability, easy maintenance (partly by conscripts) and universal deployment. In particularly cold weather, the aircraft can be brought into the air quickly – after a comparatively short warm-up phase with the auxiliary power unit. Even on difficult ground conditions, take-off and landing are no major problem for experienced pilots.

The single-jet delta wing (the two wings form a triangle) is one of the lightweights of its profession. It cannot keep up with two-engined competitors such as the Eurofighter Typhoon. The Gripen has other talents though. Even in winter, for example, makeshift tracks, motorways, and unpaved roads are sufficient for take-off and landing. It is also very reliable and easy to maintain.

At AIRPOWER24, the Hungarian Air Force and the Air Force of the Czech Republic will be showing what their Gripen can do in the flight programme.