[2008-04-28 8:15]

In New Delhi today Saab handed-over its compliant response to the Indian Ministry of Defence Request for Proposal for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force.

Saab has offered the Indian Air Force the next generation Gripen, which includes increased combat range and endurance, a more powerful engine and super cruise capability, additional weapons carriage capability and increased payload.

The Saab offer is supported by a long term programme of industrial co-operation and offset and of technology transfer. Saab´s international industrial network will provide substantial and long-term joint venture growth for the Indian aerospace and defence sector.

Saab President and CEO Åke Svensson stated "The compliant proposal submitted today, demonstrates our commitment to winning the Indian government´s MMRCA tender" he said. "I am confident that Saab has submitted the complete solution to India´s requirements. We are offering cutting edge, next generation combat aircraft and excessive industrial co-operation, including unrivalled access to key technologies, enabling autonomy and increased national security for India."

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers´ changing needs.

For further information, please contact:
Owe Wagermark, Communications Director Gripen International (Gripen Demo)
Telephone: +46 (0)734-18 18 24
Toni Eriksson, Acting Press secretary, Saab AB
Telephone: +46 (0)734-18 00 18

www.saabgroup.com

The information is that which Saab AB is required to declare by the Securities Business Act and/or the Financial instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication on 28rd April at 8.15 AM.

http://www.saabgroup.com/en/MediaRelations/Pressreleases/Pressrelease.htm?PressreleaseId=165168


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Gripen IN, the next generation of Gripen
Gripen IN is based on the newly launched Gripen NG, the next generation of Gripen, an enhanced version of the well proven Net Centric Warfare Gripen multi-role fighter, which has unbeatable low acquisition, operation and support costs. Gripen IN provides freedom of choice in weapons and sensors and an unrivalled sustained sortie generation rate through high availability.

The complete Gripen IN solution consists of:

A next generation state-of-the-art and a tailored version of the Gripen NG next generation fighter, which includes increased combat range and endurance, additional weapons carriage capability and increased payload, the more powerful General Electric F414G engine and supercruise capability

The latest generation of weapons system and a fully integrated advanced sensors and weapon fusion, including an AESA radar and IRST sensor, as well as a wide range of weapons

A comprehensive Transfer of Technology (ToT) programme, ensuring access and transfer of technology to enable India to manage all aspects of the life cycle for the Gripen IN

A reliable, innovative, cost-effective and life-time logistics support solution State-of-the-art training facilities that combine synthetic training aids and real fighters

Genuine commitment to deliver real industrial co-operation, creating indigenous capabilities in advanced defence technology areas. Saab has an unbeatable track record when it comes to fulfilling offset obligations.

http://www.saabgroup.com/en/MediaRelations/News/2008/gripen_for_india.htm

Strong offer anyway. Sig how do you extimate Gripen's chances???


Lo there do I see my father.
Lo there do I see my mother.
Lo there do I see my brothers and my sisters.
Lo there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning.
Lo they do call to me;
they bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla,
where the brave may live forever.

No idea.. I think it has a better chance than MIG-35, F-16 and Typhoon but a smaller chance than Super Hornet and Rafale. Unless they start to look at low operating costs amid rising fuel prices and such.



Air to Ground Config with 2x Python V on Station 1 (L&R), Total of 8x GBU-12 LGBs on Twin Store Carriers fitted to Stations 2 and 5 (L&R), plus 2x 300 US gallon Fuel Drop tanks on Station 3 (L&R), Station 4 fitted with Laser Designator Pod, Station 5C empty:



Air Dominance Config with 2x Python V on Station 1 (L&R), Total of 6x Derby BVR missiles Stations 2 (L&R) on twin launchers and Stations 5 (L&R) single launcher, plus 2x 300 US gallon Fuel Drop tanks on Station 3 (L&R), Station 4 and 5C empty:

The Gripen's chances at getting through to the MRCA contract just increased by a helluva lot. The only thing holding this baby back now is the fact that Sweden might not have as much political clout as the other competitors. I mean if we're trying to dissuade other countries from selling to Pakistan, we might as well dissuade the French or the Americans.

Saab have accomplished a lot. Respect for this one.

==================================
Tu dhoop hain jham se bikhar
Tu hai nadee o bekhabar
Beh chal kahin ud chal kahin
Dil khush jahan teri toh manzil hai wahin.

Saab is making the same mistake as the F-20 program.


Mobile airpower

"The enemy dies relaxed," observed a Lockheed Martin manager.

"Saab is making the same mistake as the F-20 program"

LOL! As if you KNEW anything about it!!!

Mate before you take yourself for half an expert PLEASE do yourself a HUGE favour: GO to the nearest flying school and BORROW the beginner's theorical books, then lock yourself on a bunker for a few years.

Perhaps only then, you'd be able to pretend to comprehend the basics of the subject and make comments worth the Guiness book of record, at least we will know you're joking.

Quote w00tness:

"Saab have accomplished a lot. Respect for this one".

Agreed, reason for them to be the main partner to Dassault on the nEUROn programe, we're quiet please to have them with us.


Lo there do I see my father.
Lo there do I see my mother.
Lo there do I see my brothers and my sisters.
Lo there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning.
Lo they do call to me;
they bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla,
where the brave may live forever.

..says the eric guy who has a photo of a whole bunch of outdated jets.

Politically, India is a emerging superpower so why continue to be dependant on other large powers when you can 'own' a system or at least have much greater influence on it.

Sorry Thunder, but now it's you that should think before barking out loud!
I was refering to the F-20 a plane that was never sold to the US but was proposed for export. I was a total flop.
The Gripen NG is looking to become the new F-20.


As you can see, a fly manual is totally irrelevant in this case as is your argument.


Mobile airpower

"The enemy dies relaxed," observed a Lockheed Martin manager.

Quote Nighthawk00:
"I was refering to the F-20 a plane that was never sold to the US but was proposed for export."

Precisely what i was refering to, (BTW my agressive tone meant that i mystook you for someone else) what you don't KNOW are the HUGE differencve in DESIGN and CONCEPTION of the two aircrafts.

F-20 was designed as a CHEAP tactical fighter alternative to the aging F-5 and F-16, it NEVER had the performances requiered to attract F-16 customers even if the final version was M2.0 and 9G capable.

F-20 wingload was WAY TOO HIGH and it's always been a problem from day one.

Gripen on the contrary is NOT in the same class and have perfs which overal offers a real improvement over the previous generation, somethin F-20 wasn't really capable of doing even after the introdutcion of the "9G" wing.

Gripen relatively lower cost is only due to one thing; IT IS MONO-ENGINE compared to Rafale/Typoon so it is smaller and lighter.

Quote Nighthawk00:
"I was a total flop".

For the reasons I explained to you + some FCS and wing redesign, lengthly developement, an infortunate crash and bad market management.

Quote Nighthawk00:
"The Gripen NG is looking to become the new F-20".

Certainly NOT. It is an improvement over the basic Gripen, and asses the Gripen so called shortcomings while puting it in the same ballpark as Rafale when it comes to systems and even on front in terms of developement bar the AESA radar; this means it is probabily the most attractive proposition out-there for an aircraft of this class.

HERE! Check out this Flight-International datas from 1983...

The F-20 couldn't TURN with the F-16 and certainly NOT with the Mirage 2000 in INSTANTANEOUS or SUSTAINED turen rates, its wingload was WAY TOO HIGH and it's always been a problem from day one..

Only its TWR allowed it a slightly better climb rate than the basic Mirage 2000 (with the P2 engine) and it wasn't enough, A CLASSIC case of aerodynamic vs thrust problem.

Plus if you look at the range you'll figure it was also short-legged by a fair margin

At a time where REAL M 2.0 and 9G capabilties were offered by the F-16 and Mirage there was NO WAY the FG-20 could have interested anyone, MoD had budget for both its concurent at the time...

Gripen today offers a lot more buck for money than the Tigershark at the time, ITS BASICDESIGN IS EXCELLENT and BTW i REALLY liked the F-20 when it was being developed, i only report its history not slashing it off for no valid reasons...


Lo there do I see my father.
Lo there do I see my mother.
Lo there do I see my brothers and my sisters.
Lo there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning.
Lo they do call to me;
they bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla,
where the brave may live forever.

I can imagine that the Indians will have some Russian weapons integrated to the Gripen if they get it.
It feels like the Gripen has a good chance of being a fighter that wont' be affected by politics as much as some fighters, and there are some countries who are attracted by tat fact.

Now if we could only sell to Pakistan as well

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Since when does a Gripen have a better chance than the Mig-35, and why is rafale in the same boat? Those are the 2 planes that are at the bottom when it comes to the MRCA order, the Indian airforce is already set up to handle the Migs. Im sure some would dream of Rafales first export to be 126 fighters but the chances of that are close to nil. The Mig and the SH are the top 2 contenders, France has consitently lost contacts with the Indian military, and the Sweedes arent even on the same level.

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we shall see at the end if dassault made a clumsy marketing by closing the mirage 2000 assembly line, relying on second hand upgrades of the same among the 500 wghich are still flying and not prototyping a one-jet fighter of the generation of the rafale ( same aeroprofile, same systems, less redundancies, m-53 engine).
if saab could it with gripen, dassault should have been able of it.
perhaps, dassault is quite self confident that upgrades mirage 2000 with rafale systems will still retain their superiority over gripen, migs, f16

Saab, together with Lockheed also delivered their proposals to Norway today. They did not reveal the price, but Saab said they can guarantee an industrial cooperation worth NOK 24 Bn, which is more than 100% of order value.
Tom Burbage from Lockheed said that their offer is less than NOK 20 Bn for 48 JSF.

Quote berthierch:
"perhaps, dassault is quite self confident that upgrades mirage 2000 with rafale systems will still retain their superiority over gripen, migs, f16"

Well yeah, they are they still support every aircraft built since the Mirage III which are still in service and upgraded...
http://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/defense/military-customer-support.html?L=1


Lo there do I see my father.
Lo there do I see my mother.
Lo there do I see my brothers and my sisters.
Lo there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning.
Lo they do call to me;
they bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla,
where the brave may live forever.