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Author Topic: Saab touts Sea Gripen for India and Brazil  (Read 8563 times)

Offline F-111 C/C

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Saab touts Sea Gripen for India and Brazil
« on: December 18, 2009, 11:19:06 PM »
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Re: Saab touts Sea Gripen for India and Brazil
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2009, 02:07:28 PM »
Cool idea, I doubt that it will materialize though. But well, if India insists on local assembly, I suppose it has some chance compared to Super Hornet. Maybe the latter is also too big/high cost for the requirement.
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Offline F-111 C/C

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Re: Saab touts Sea Gripen for India and Brazil
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2009, 04:37:57 PM »
Cool idea, I doubt that it will materialize though. But well, if India insists on local assembly, I suppose it has some chance compared to Super Hornet. Maybe the latter is also too big/high cost for the requirement.
It's sounds like SAAB is really 'selling' the idea as 'no big deal', swap a few parts and BAM, it's done. I'm with you. I think it will be a huge undertaking and, like everything, will cost way more and take way longer to do. If the jet was originally designed and conceived with multi-purpose in mind (a la F/A-18), that's one thing. But to retrofit an existing airframe to adapt to a new, entirely different mission, after the fact? I can't see it happening.
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Re: Saab touts Sea Gripen for India and Brazil
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2010, 02:43:17 AM »
What exactly would they have to do to it to make it Carrier Capable?

Offline shawn a

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Re: Saab touts Sea Gripen for India and Brazil
« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2010, 04:58:54 AM »
Corrosion resistance, Beefier landing gear, Tailhook, and probably some other stuff I haven't thought about. Different avionics? Would it have the 414 engine?
I've personally always liked the Gripen. Damn good design.

Offline F-111 C/C

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Re: Saab touts Sea Gripen for India and Brazil
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2010, 05:19:43 AM »
From the article above:
Some of the changes demanded for the Sea Gripen include a stronger, longer nose gear, with larger tyres and a new shock absorber; a new main undercarriage capable of absorbing a 6.3 m/sec sink rate; a strengthened arrestor hook, repositioned from the current design; removal of corrosion risks from the airframe using new manufacturing techniques/materials; and integration with an approach/landing system.
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Re: Saab touts Sea Gripen for India and Brazil
« Reply #6 on: January 01, 2010, 06:26:10 PM »
One of the advantages of the Gripen has always been that it is a relatively lightweight design, which meant the F404 was sufficient for the job. Now with the NG development it can carry more fuel and a heavier load, thanks to the F414. But if you make it carrier capable, the structural and gear strengthening means it gains weight. With the F414 that should probably be no problem, but I don't expect NG-type load configs. Its mission config will be much more like the original Gripen then, which is what... two self-defence IR, two BVRAAMs, two Mavericks or some AShM like the RBS-15 and maybe one centre line tank max? Still for Brazil/India that might just be what they are looking for. I am not so sure about Brazil's need for it though. And India, well if the MiG-29K lives up to its promises and that new AESA proves to be a success, then I suppose it's much more interesting for them to have HAL build more MiG-29Ks. But there seems to be a real desire in India to get 'into bed' so to speak with US manufacturers. At least they recognize that the naval LCA won't be happening. Sure they say 'in the future', but this RfI tells me it won't be happening anymore. Ah well, who knows.
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