Saab announced a deal with Colombia for 15 Gripen E and two Gripen F fighters valued at €3.1 billion ($3.603 billion) with deliveries starting from 2026.
The deal between the Colombian Government and Swedish Saab covers the delivery of 17 Gripen NG fighters in total, with 15 Gripen E single seaters and two Gripen F twin seaters. The new aircraft will be delivered between 2026 and 2032.
The Colombian Air Force is currently operating IAI Kfir single-engine fighters acquired from Israel, which are to be retired soon due to complications in further upgrades, due to the discontinuation of the fighter’s development.
Like IAI Kfir, Gripen NG is a single-engine design with a lightweight build. The fighter is equipped with a General Electric F414G afterburning turbofan engine, putting out 14400 lbf of dry thrust and 22000 afterburner thrust. The engine, combined with the low weight compared to other fighters, allows a limited supercruise capability at Mach 1.2.
However, Gripen NG offers a considerably more modern avionics suite that includes Leonardo’s ES-05 Raven AESA radar with mechanical steering to expand the tracking envelope and onboard Skyward IRST.
IRIS-T WVRAAMs are more than likely to be included in the Gripen NG package due to Saab’s part in development and production.
Meteor ramjet-powered BVRAAM, which offers sustained supersonic speeds at considerably longer ranges compared to traditional rocket-powered BVRAAMs, might be included for the same reason.
It is not known if the Colombian Air Force will keep using I-Derby ER BVRAAMs and Python WVRAAMs from Israel, which have been integrated on the upgraded Kfir fighters.
The first operator of Gripen NG in South America is Brazil, having ordered 36 Gripen NG fighters and operating 11 units as F-39E. Peru might become the third operator of the lightweight fighter with the discussions ongoing.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
