By Helmoed Römer Heitman
Air warfare is a complex thing. Its effectiveness is determined by a host of factors, among them fighting strategy, aircraft numbers, manoeuvrability, weaponry, defensive capability, communications, maintenance, ground support and intelligence.
Oh, and something the experts refer to as "an edge".
The South African Air Force will soon become one of fewer than a dozen air forces operating fighters of the "4th generation", ensuring that world's second-oldest independent air force keeps its edge through the first decades of the 21st century. Its new Saab Gripen fighters will replace the present Cheetah C between 2007 and 2012, and are likely to remain in service until 2030 or longer.
Continues Below ↓
What makes these 4th generation fighters so special? The Gripen was the first of the "4th generation" fighters to enter service, and is so far the only light fighter of that generation in operation (the American F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is still in development). The American-built F-22 Raptor, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the French Rafale are much larger and considerably more expensive.
So what makes these 4th generation fighters so special? Stealth technology, for a start, together with fully integrated digital systems and inherently unstable - and thus very manoeuvrable - airframes made flyable by "fly-by-wire" computer-controlled systems.
Development of the Gripen began back in 1982. It first took to the air in December 1989, becoming operational (in the Swedish Air Force) in 1996. The first JAS-39C, on which the SAAF version is based, was delivered in September 2002.
The Swedes chose a light fighter for several reasons, one of the most important being its lower acquisition and operating costs. It also comes with operational advantages: a small aircraft is also a smaller radar and visual target; and is better suited to the dispersed operations of the Swedish Air Force, which regards large bases as too vulnerable.
Continues...
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
