Aircraft
Gripen Fires Production Meteor; Gripen E Assembly Begins
A Saab JAS 39C Gripen fires a Meteor long-range BVR missile at the Vidsel test range in Sweden in late June. (Photo: FMV)
A Saab JAS 39C Gripen fires a Meteor long-range BVR missile at the Vidsel test range in Sweden in late June. (Photo: FMV)

Late last month, a Saab JAS 39C Gripen fired two examples of the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. They were the first production-representative rounds of the weapon to be fired as the Meteor program gears up to deliver operational capability beginning early next year. The missiles were launched at remotely controlled targets at the Vidsel range in northern Sweden. They validated the datalink between the launch aircraft and the missiles, as well as the weapon’s ability to lock on. The trials also verified the command support that has been developed for the pilot.