This article first appeared in Aerospace Daily & Defense Report.
The South Africa Air Force (SAAF) has taken delivery of the first four of 26 Gripen NG advanced fighter aircraft ordered at the biennial Africa Aerospace and Defense show in Cape Town, South Africa.
[Av Week Online Editor Sean Meade corrects: South Africa has accepted the first four fighters under an order for 26 Gripen C/Ds. An Aerospace Daily & Defense Report article Sept. 30 incorrectly identified the type of those four Gripens. (thanks DT reader Logan Hartke for the catch!)]
Nine of the fighters are two-seaters and 17 single-seaters. Deliveries are scheduled through 2012.
Armaments
Currently the fighters are said to be armed with only a 27mm Mauser cannon. The short-range IRIS-T air-to-air missile is on order from Diehl BGT and additional weapons are under development. The first class of six instructors are now in training at Makhado.
Denel SAAB Aerostructures (DSA) has delivered 220 pylons for Gripen aircraft, with 80 more contracted. The South African company is set to receive another follow-on contract to make 80 more pylons through a modified design, bringing the total to 380.
Modification kits for the earlier pylons will also be produced under a separate contract. SAAB predicts there will be further requirements for pylons until 2013, implying further work for DSA, according to a trade magazine.
In addition to the pylon contracts, DSA has longstanding contracts for the manufacture of the Gripen main landing gear and the rear fuselage sections, for both the Swedish air force and all export customers. These contracts form part of SAABs Defense Industrial Participation Program for South Africa.
Read the rest of this story, see how Canada’s going green, read how the financial crisis could help the defense biz and check out what Mrs. Palin says about ak-ak from our friends at Aviation Week exclusively on Military.com.
– Editor
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
There’s just one problem with that article. They’re not Gripen NGs. If so, they would have had one of the fastest development to production cycles in recent history. The Gripen Demo only first flew at the end of May this year! The production-equivalent Gripen NG hasn’t even been built yet!!!
South Africa has ordered Gripen Cs and Ds. Nobody has even formally ordered Gripen NGs yet (Sweden has committed to it if someone–a.k.a. Norway or Denmark–orders it)!
Somebody didn’t do their homework, then a couple other people didn’t bother to check it. Very poor reporting here.
awwww, he meant well, anyway i guess its still a good news story and i’m pretty sure Editor will correct the info unlike so many other sites.
Awaits Russian fan-girls to arrive and tell us why South Africa would have been better with Russian jets, its only a matter of time…
Oh yeah Editor dude if your reading this, how about getting a failbook , sorry facebook group up and running for all us facebook retards (i bet i’m the only guy who reads this site who uses failbook though) Perhaps you could do a poll on if the readers would approve.
Sigh wonder how long theyll be able to operate them with the amount of skilled labor leaving and the lack of ppl joining there armed forces dont seem that long Sounth africa is a perfect example of ppl using liberals to get power for themselves and there cronies
same as in zimbob
and alot of other african nations place is a mess..speaking of which who the heck are they even going to need those to fight?
I’ve been to Norway recently, wonderful place, and its people and culture are top notch. Everything indicates that a deal with scandinavians usually turns out great.
“Sigh wonder how long theyll be able to operate them with the amount of skilled labor leaving and the lack of ppl joining there armed forces dont seem that long Sounth africa is a perfect example of ppl using liberals to get power for themselves and there cronies
same as in zimbob
and alot of other african nations place is a mess..speaking of which who the heck are they even going to need those to fight?”
I totally agree that South Africa DOES NOT have the skilled(read WHITE) labour to operate those Gripens. They can’t even operate the submarines they have for the same reasons. They are supposed to have the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010,it is my personal hope that they get stripped of the World Cup because of how backwards they are & how dangerous it is to be in South Africa right now.
Agree with ‘Mad’ here, i am sure not all black Africans are spear chucking tribesmen.I think certain commentators here should re-think there views.
Great to see editor dude correcting the mistakes too with an aploagy and not just a ‘stealth edit’ – not many sites do that.
I have to add here as a South African that the number purchased is 28 not 26.
Thanks
The story I heard was that the ANC “trooper/sailor/airman” was disrespectful of their NCO’s & Commanding officers who just may or may not be white. Most do not know how to swim & totally freak out during training for special ops when one of the instructors does something like pull the regulator(look I’m no scuba diver,the thing you put in your mouth to help you breath underwater) while they are swimming,like they do during SEAL training in the U.S. Also,the ANC’s best & brightest don’t like to jump out of airplanes for any reason. I’m not trying to perpetuate the “spear chucker” image,shiftless & lazy comes to mind though. I also read how Germany had to deliver South Africa’s second sub,because the ANC’s “best & brightest” almost sunk the first one that they were moving from Germany to South Africa,much to the White South African Captain’s dismay. The ANC’s military sucks,not because they are black,but because they are communist & do not see the need to follow orders from non-ANC(again,read white) NCO’s & commanding officers. The only way South Africa will be able to keep those Gripens in the air is if Chinese mechanics from the People’s Republic of [Red] China keep them working & air worthy,just like it will take the ChiComs to keep the 2010 World Cup in South Africa & make South Africa ready to host the World Cup. I image that it takes the ChiComs to keep the electrical plants & stations running in South Africa.
P.S. Bobby Mugabe & Mbeki(& now Zuma) are the best of buddies & will NEVER go to war against each other.
In case anybody is curious,I get my news about South Africa from http://www.africancrisis.co.za/Home.php.
Mad: you will soon learn that the only way to enjoy reading these posts and contributing comments is if you apply a bozo filter and ignore Roy Smith’s ramblings.
I like to make love to trees.
Roy, you are an insulting racist. I am highly offended by your racist effing comments. I’m black, and I know that I am for sure a hell of alot smarter then you. Keep your biased views to your self.
Editor: Are you going to permit this garbage? Roy is out of control, he needs to check himself.
I like to make love to park benches.
looks like Roys lost the plot…
I don’t give a damn what other people think about me. I thank the GOOD LORD that we don’t have secret police or “STASI NAZI” spies rounding people up & sending them to mass graves or gulags…..yet,& as far as I’m concerned,you can shove your accusations of me being racist(I’m not cowering in fear of you,how about that?) up your ass!!!!!
We are still free enough to speak our politically incorrect opinions,God bless America!!!!
I suppose you were expecting me to effeminately say after you called me a “racist”,”If your intention was to shoot an arrow through my heart? BULLSEYE,boo,hoo,hoo.”
yeah the ANC is a bunch of ‘tards.
The black majority are poorer, while ANC elite are
taking white money to enrich themselves while there brothers are dying.
If you want to find the REAL RACISTS,look at these members of the “Military-Industrial Complex.”
ry you kinda remind me of Ron Paul 5in of crap i go hell yea about then a hr of crap thats got ppls going ok so maybe he is crazy
Don’t worry,when Barrack Obama(“Praise his ‘[un]holy’ name”,personally,I’d rather curse his name,ya heard?) becomes president,such “politically incorrect” views & opinions will become a jailable offence. Until then,thank God for the freedom & liberty to speak & THINK things that are politically incorrect.
Remember,Obama Biden=Osama Bin Laden(notice the similarity?).
“I like to make love to trees.”
“I like to make love to park benches.”
This is not me,this is just some “Caravan Rubbish(what we Americans call Trailer Trash/Trailer Park Trash)” idiot thinking he’s cute.
Now when I say “the Jewish Masters can kiss my Amalekite ass,AND they(the Jewish masters) can bow down before ME & kiss MY ring,& not the other way around,” THAT IS ME!!!! I wipe my ass with the talmud(the followers of which are evil monsters & worse than Hitler),& I piss on the Seven Laws of Noah.I don’t hate Jews,I just hate the followers & believers of a very evil & satanic book called the talmud(the ultimate “Satanic Bible”).
I like to make love to farm animals.
The Swedes made a good warplane, way better than anything the Russians put out. Now they should take back thier country. Get rid of the ANC criminals, carve out thier own autonomous region, and defend white farms. Barbarians, raping and killing with impunity. They would have made good allies. Look wat ya got now…KAOS…with a “K”..
Roy i have but one question…
But first i hate obama he represents all that is wrong with amaericas democratic party there should be 3 parties democrate party the republican party and the liberal party but the libs like using communist tactics to infiltrate cheat and make our country a workers paradise.
think about it this way libs and obama rule chicogo…its infistructure is colapsing it has a horrible crime rate like hundreds wounded or killed every yr in in violent crime add in the poverty drugs and other problems and then ask yourself is this what i want my country to look like in 4 yrs?
Now roy just admit it your a Ron Paul supporter…..HES INSANE Roy run away come back to the light!!! I mean seriously hes loved by both the KKK and the Islamist doesnt that give you a clue?
about the park bench stuff i figure your telling the truth though
Please don’t feed Roy the troll. It only encourages him to spout more utterly stupid trash. Just let him witter away to himself, he’ll soon get bored when he gets ignored for his retarded comments.
“about the park bench stuff i figure your telling the truth though
Posted by: James at October 3, 2008 12:32 PM”
I lol’d long and hard over that. perhaps this is Roys real identity:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24174888-23109,00.html
I have had the pleasue of workig with quite a few skilled and hard working black South Africans. In London and the rest of the UK. Only us stupid whiteys come back to SA after a few years. As for our new Gripens. About time, pity we don’t have anyone who can fly them. A few airforce pilots I know moved on to greener pastures (filled with kangaroos.) The last straw for them was when the best two graduates from the pilot’s school was refused fighter pilot’s school because they were white….