Is the Gripen E a real contender?
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Re: Is the Gripen E a real contender?
Meanwhile... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DkRRFBlMqU
I'm going to knock this up a notch with my spice weasle. Bam!
Re: Is the Gripen E a real contender?
Cost of an F-16V is $70m+, cost of an F35 is $75m. An F35 does the job of 5-6 F-16 and isn't obsolete coming off the factory floor. Makes sense for the USAF with multiple fleets but a terrible idea for Canada. The cost differences between the two are essentially negligible, not counting the F-16 will have limited support after 20 years when there will be thousands of F-35s and millions of parts. Anything other than an F-35 for Canada would be considered a political choice not based on capability and economy.co-joe wrote: ↑Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:10 am Defend our sovereignty, and maintain our NATO obligations. The US bought the F16 because they couldn't afford as many F15's as they thought they needed to "defend freedom". Now a generation later and they are still buying Vipers to top up the fleet. Nobody can afford the latest and greatest, least of all a small country of 38 million people.
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Re: Is the Gripen E a real contender?
frosti wrote: ↑Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:13 amCost of an F-16V is $70m+, cost of an F35 is $75m. An F35 does the job of 5-6 F-16 and isn't obsolete coming off the factory floor. Makes sense for the USAF with multiple fleets but a terrible idea for Canada. The cost differences between the two are essentially negligible, not counting the F-16 will have limited support after 20 years when there will be thousands of F-35s and millions of parts. Anything other than an F-35 for Canada would be considered a political choice not based on capability and economy.co-joe wrote: ↑Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:10 am Defend our sovereignty, and maintain our NATO obligations. The US bought the F16 because they couldn't afford as many F15's as they thought they needed to "defend freedom". Now a generation later and they are still buying Vipers to top up the fleet. Nobody can afford the latest and greatest, least of all a small country of 38 million people.

What?
Unit cost of the F16 is between 12-35 million depending on options. It's still in production and there are almost 5000 of them.
We can't afford the F35. Maybe in a few years after we restart the economy. As long as people keep saying its the F35 or nothing, we will continue with nothing.
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Re: Is the Gripen E a real contender?
Cojoe,
Taiwan purchased 66 F16V’s at 122 Million per. Bulgaria purchased 8 for 1.25 Billion, or over 100 Million per.Slovakia purchased 14 for 1.8 Billion.
These purchases push the unit cost of a F16V to over 100 Million per unit, and not anywhere near the 12-35 Million that you have posted.
If I recall, the CF18’s were bought at 38 Million per unit, in 1980-82 dollars....
Taiwan purchased 66 F16V’s at 122 Million per. Bulgaria purchased 8 for 1.25 Billion, or over 100 Million per.Slovakia purchased 14 for 1.8 Billion.
These purchases push the unit cost of a F16V to over 100 Million per unit, and not anywhere near the 12-35 Million that you have posted.
If I recall, the CF18’s were bought at 38 Million per unit, in 1980-82 dollars....
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Re: Is the Gripen E a real contender?
The best bang for the buck is the F15 .
Very few aircraft can match its interdiction capabilities .
It would look very pretty painted in the Arrow colours
Very few aircraft can match its interdiction capabilities .
It would look very pretty painted in the Arrow colours

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Re: Is the Gripen E a real contender?
That's cool, it's now my favorite as wellschnitzel2k3 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 27, 2021 7:27 am I vote Gripen just so I can hear this turbine sound at the airshows.
https://youtu.be/wurA98TaEr4

Re: Is the Gripen E a real contender?
Pretty much all that aircraft is good for, cannon fodder for fat photographers in the pit.schnitzel2k3 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 27, 2021 7:27 am I vote Gripen just so I can hear this turbine sound at the airshows.
https://youtu.be/wurA98TaEr4
Re: Is the Gripen E a real contender?
Just for some general information from Wikipedia:
I bolded the ones I thought were relevant to this thread.
The United States defines 4.5-generation fighter aircraft as fourth-generation jet fighters that have been upgraded with AESA radar, high-capacity data-link, enhanced avionics, and "the ability to deploy current and reasonably foreseeable advanced armaments".[4][5] Contemporary examples of 4.5-generation fighters are the Sukhoi Su-30SM/Su-30 MKI/Su-34/Su-35,[6] the Shenyang J-11D/J-15B/J-16, the Chengdu J-10B/C, the Mikoyan MiG-35, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the Lockheed Martin F-16E/F and the related Mitsubishi F-2, McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, Tejas Mark 1A,[7] JF-17 block III, the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, the Mitsubishi F-2,[8] and the Dassault Rafale. Wholly new 4.5 generation types include the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and Saab Gripen.[13][9] Many of these types remain in frontline service in 2021.
A fifth generation fighter is a jet fighter aircraft which includes major technologies developed during the first part of the 21st century. As of 2021 these are the most advanced fighters in operation. The characteristics of a fifth-generation fighter are not universally agreed and not every fifth-generation type necessarily has them all, however they typically include stealth, low-probability-of-intercept radar (LPIR), agile airframes with supercruise performance, advanced avionics features, and highly integrated computer systems capable of networking with other elements within the battlespace for situation awareness and C3 (command, control and communications) capabilities.[1]
As of December 2020, the combat-ready fifth-generation fighters are the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, which entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in December 2005; the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, which entered service with the USAF in July 2015;[2][3] the Chengdu J-20, which entered service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in September 2017,[4] and the Sukhoi Su-57, which entered service with the Russian Air Force on 25 December 2020.[5] The Shenyang FC-31 had flight testing of the 3.0 revised version in 2017. The Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin, HAL AMCA, TAI TF-X, IAIO Qaher-313, and Pakistan's Project Azm, are in early stages of development.
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I bolded the ones I thought were relevant to this thread.
The United States defines 4.5-generation fighter aircraft as fourth-generation jet fighters that have been upgraded with AESA radar, high-capacity data-link, enhanced avionics, and "the ability to deploy current and reasonably foreseeable advanced armaments".[4][5] Contemporary examples of 4.5-generation fighters are the Sukhoi Su-30SM/Su-30 MKI/Su-34/Su-35,[6] the Shenyang J-11D/J-15B/J-16, the Chengdu J-10B/C, the Mikoyan MiG-35, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the Lockheed Martin F-16E/F and the related Mitsubishi F-2, McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, Tejas Mark 1A,[7] JF-17 block III, the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, the Mitsubishi F-2,[8] and the Dassault Rafale. Wholly new 4.5 generation types include the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and Saab Gripen.[13][9] Many of these types remain in frontline service in 2021.
A fifth generation fighter is a jet fighter aircraft which includes major technologies developed during the first part of the 21st century. As of 2021 these are the most advanced fighters in operation. The characteristics of a fifth-generation fighter are not universally agreed and not every fifth-generation type necessarily has them all, however they typically include stealth, low-probability-of-intercept radar (LPIR), agile airframes with supercruise performance, advanced avionics features, and highly integrated computer systems capable of networking with other elements within the battlespace for situation awareness and C3 (command, control and communications) capabilities.[1]
As of December 2020, the combat-ready fifth-generation fighters are the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, which entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in December 2005; the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, which entered service with the USAF in July 2015;[2][3] the Chengdu J-20, which entered service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in September 2017,[4] and the Sukhoi Su-57, which entered service with the Russian Air Force on 25 December 2020.[5] The Shenyang FC-31 had flight testing of the 3.0 revised version in 2017. The Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin, HAL AMCA, TAI TF-X, IAIO Qaher-313, and Pakistan's Project Azm, are in early stages of development.
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Re: Is the Gripen E a real contender?
The F-16, the Gripen, and the F-35 are single engine. The rest of the bolded fighters are twin engine.airway wrote: ↑Wed Jan 27, 2021 10:30 am Just for some general information from Wikipedia:
I bolded the ones I thought were relevant to this thread.
The United States defines 4.5-generation fighter aircraft as fourth-generation jet fighters that have been upgraded with AESA radar, high-capacity data-link, enhanced avionics, and "the ability to deploy current and reasonably foreseeable advanced armaments".[4][5] Contemporary examples of 4.5-generation fighters are the Sukhoi Su-30SM/Su-30 MKI/Su-34/Su-35,[6] the Shenyang J-11D/J-15B/J-16, the Chengdu J-10B/C, the Mikoyan MiG-35, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the Lockheed Martin F-16E/F and the related Mitsubishi F-2, McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, Tejas Mark 1A,[7] JF-17 block III, the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, the Mitsubishi F-2,[8] and the Dassault Rafale. Wholly new 4.5 generation types include the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and Saab Gripen.[13][9] Many of these types remain in frontline service in 2021.
A fifth generation fighter is a jet fighter aircraft which includes major technologies developed during the first part of the 21st century. As of 2021 these are the most advanced fighters in operation. The characteristics of a fifth-generation fighter are not universally agreed and not every fifth-generation type necessarily has them all, however they typically include stealth, low-probability-of-intercept radar (LPIR), agile airframes with supercruise performance, advanced avionics features, and highly integrated computer systems capable of networking with other elements within the battlespace for situation awareness and C3 (command, control and communications) capabilities.[1]
As of December 2020, the combat-ready fifth-generation fighters are the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, which entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in December 2005; the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, which entered service with the USAF in July 2015;[2][3] the Chengdu J-20, which entered service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in September 2017,[4] and the Sukhoi Su-57, which entered service with the Russian Air Force on 25 December 2020.[5] The Shenyang FC-31 had flight testing of the 3.0 revised version in 2017. The Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin, HAL AMCA, TAI TF-X, IAIO Qaher-313, and Pakistan's Project Azm, are in early stages of development.
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Re: Is the Gripen E a real contender?
U.S. Air Force looks to radically overhaul its fighter plans
https://skiesmag.com/news/usaf-radicall ... hw-RE2c9pA
https://skiesmag.com/news/usaf-radicall ... hw-RE2c9pA