Aircraft
Saab Sees First Gripen E Stores Releases, and Develops GaN Radar
The Gripen E has taken a significant step forward with its first missile firing, while Saab is to supply a GaN fighter radar to the U.S. for testing
Gripen E 39-8 fires a Diehl BGT Defence IRIS-T missile at Vidsel in October. The IRIS-T is the standard infrared-guided missile for the Gripen fighter. (Photo: Saab)
Gripen E 39-8 fires a Diehl BGT Defence IRIS-T missile at Vidsel in October. The IRIS-T is the standard infrared-guided missile for the Gripen fighter. (Photo: Saab)

Following on from captive carriage trials that were undertaken in July, Saab’s first test aircraft for the Gripen E next-generation fighter conducted its first stores release trials earlier in October. Aircraft 39-8 jettisoned a fuel tank and fired an IRIS-T air-to-air missile during the test campaign at the Vidsel test range in northern Sweden.

“As a pilot, flying with external stores such as drop tank and missiles is important to allow for evaluation of how the aircraft behaves with the stores attached. This test was also used to evaluate the effect on the aircraft when releasing and launching the stores,” reported Marcus Wandt, experimental Gripen test pilot at Saab. “The highlight was, of course, to pull the trigger and watch the missile fire away. It also brings us closer to making the aircraft ready for its operational use.”

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