Forget the F-35 Stealth Fighter: Why the JAS 39 Gripen Might Be ‘Better’

ANALYSIS | Canada at the defence crossroads: The challenges of thinking long

The recent debates over Canada’s next fighter jets and submarines have peeled back the curtain on the shortcomings and short-term thinking in the country’s approach to defending itself.

Forget the F-35 Stealth Fighter: Why the JAS 39 Gripen Might Be ‘Better’

Key Points and Summary – The JAS 39 Gripen can’t match the F-35’s stealth, but it punches hard where many governments now care most: cost, flexibility, and sovereignty. With operating costs a fraction of the F-35’s and no entanglement in U.S. export controls or software black boxes, Sweden’s fighter offers nations real autonomy over their airpower. JAS 39 Gripen. Image Credit: Creative Commons. -That tension is playing out in Canada, where Prime…

F-35 Crushed Gripen-E Jets In Leaked Canadian Military Test; Saab's New Campaign Runs Into Bitter Reality

Newly leaked data shows that the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II was the top-scoring aircraft in Canada’s fighter jet competition, outmatching Saab’s Gripen E by a massive margin. In a 2021 evaluation conducted by Canada’s Department of National Defense, the F-35 received a 95% rating for military capabilities. The Gripen-E finished with a score of […]