This a flight demo by a Hungarian pilot flying a JAS39C Gripen at RIAT earlier this year. Great video of a terrific little plane that Sweden builds for multirole combat.
I think it is the prettiest of the “Eurocanards” flying and fills a critical need in size and capability. Many countries can’t afford even medium sized fighters, instead flying smaller ones such as the F-5 Tiger and MiG-21 Fishbed. A modern replacement for them has been needed for some time. This is what the F-20 aspired to be in the 1980’s and I believe the Saab Gripen is the realization of the dream of a modern light weight fighter.
The only other competitor is the Chinese/Pakistani JF-17 which I highly doubt is as good a plane, being a radical derivative of the MiG-21. It says much that the Pakistani’s are now buying the larger and more modern J-10 from China instead of more JF-17’s. Meanwhile, India’s LCA project is still far from service and already out of date.
Interestingly, the Gripen often ends up competing for contracts against bigger fighters such as the F-16C Fighting Falcon, F/A-18E Super Hornet, and France’s Rafale. Currently it is in service with Sweden, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and South Africa.
A new version with a more powerful GE-414 engine, AESA radar, more fuel, and redesigned landing gear is flying in prototype. The Gripen NG promises greater range and weapons load along with better avionics.
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