Too advanced with AESA and stuff
Plus the SAAF only has Cs and Ds
I’ve seen things mentioned such as:
- Different Engine
- Different RWR
- Different Radar
- More hardpoints
but im not sure how much of that is true
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It doesn’t have aesa yet.
We might see it coming together with SU-30, Rafale, late F-15Cs, etc. My bet is next December.
It can carries only 6 missiles just like A variant.
I mean, will it be only 6x IR only or if it will be 2-6x IR and/or 2-4x SARH as an option (but should have an additional 2 hardpoints for something else, in addition to the 6 AAMs. Unlike the A that only has the 6 hardpoints)
Yeah exactly. 1 of these hardpoints is purely for targeting/recce/etc pods and nothing else. This loadout is the same for the C btw:
Spoiler
JAS39A
JAS39E for comparison:
My answer in another topic:
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These are the hardpoints:
Spoiler
JAS39A didn’t have them initially since one was for TGP and other one for drop tank/droppable munitions which A variant didn’t support. Tho, overtime the A variant also got these C upgrades. We’re getting some late JAS39A batch for the same reason why we got JA37C instead of JA37A - they weren’t advanced enough to fit their intended role in game.
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But they did have different radars Iirc and the C was upgraded with a radar that should be incapable of SARH. So we’ll have to wait and see what the AAM loadout is like for the C. It could be IR only.
It all depends on production date/batch. Yk just because some US F-16Cs fly with AESA doesn’t mean that all US F-16Cs had it stock and same goes for Gripen variants.
And yeah I expect nothing more than six AIM-9Ms on SAAF Gripen.
Yep, though would figure there must have been some changes between the A and C to warrant a name change.
It was basically all the cumulative improvements plus SAAB contracted BAe for marketting, essentially the new Eurofighter BAe had developed wasn’t for export and it was already the SAAB-BAe systems Gripen so BAe decided they’d market Gripen as their low-cost product.
Gripen C did add Helmet mounted sight too based on the Strikemaster of the Eurofighter, engine was slightly modified for ease of maintenance, retractable refuelling probe added and two hardpoints. But other than that it was the same as a 2003 Gripen A.
so both used the PS-05/A radar?
I’ve also heard they used different RWR
Both used PS-05/A yes, Gripen A entered service with the MK.1 upgraded to MK.2, Gripen C debuted with the MK.3 which was one of the new features that I forgot to mention.
RWR was improved yes, RWR for NATO is like a massive database, Sweden only had access to the radar signatures it had encountered and could therefore identify, the upgraded one had all the signatures NATO had encountered, IIRC it also provided signal strength info and better directional awareness, but that might be wrong.
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All Gripens use the PS/05A, they did go through different Mark variants though, however info about which variants were used in which Gripens is sparse
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The options for fudging SARH loadouts for the South African Gripen are relatively slim from a logical perspective. Even if we pretend like the C could guide SARH missiles, South Africa’s stores were extremely limited from what I could tell. The arms embargo against South Africa began in 1977, while the Matra Super 530F didn’t enter service until 1979, so the best SARH missile in South Africa’s inventory (and probably the only one) would be the Matra R.530. By the time the arms embargo lifted, South Africa had developed the active homing R-Darter, so there was no need for them to purchase any more advanced SARH missiles.
Basically, giving it Skyflashes would be completely random and would also probably just annoy Swedish players, and giving it anything else would be equally asinine considering what South Africa actually had on hand. In my opinion an IR-only fit is very likely, although with the… questionable utility of Skyflashes at 12.0, the Swedish Gripen will also most likely only be bothering with 9Ms.
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Mk.3 definitely debuted with the Gripen C as I have a magazine somewhere which says ‘Gripen C is joining NATO exercises with the new PS-05/A MK.3 radar set’ or something to that extent from 2004.
MK.4 was a software upgrade to the Mk.3 includes new modes and ECCM.
The MK.5 was an experimental AESA for the Gripen E but it would appear it was cancelled in favour of a new unnamed radar which retains the gimble but has a new actual radar.
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Yeah, for ARB I’d only run Aim-9. Though in SB having that option for SkyFlash DFs would be good. But I reckon you’ll be right withwise to the SAAF Gripen. IRL it was only fitted with IRIS-T. So as a placeholder for that it will be the Aim-9Ms.
But still… we’ll have to see what they do. They might be really really lazy and just straight up C&P the loadout over to the other. For the same reason they keep the FGR2, FG1 and F4J(UK) identical, even though they could have differences.
I have no idea how the R-darter performs but based on range it seems a decent analogue to the MICA, would that be a potential option later on?
As for now though yeah Gripen’s gonna be IR only but there’s nothing wrong with that as 9M’s are very capable.
5 GBUs? Interesting… Is there a report for it missing or something?
R-Darter was retired along with the Cheetah in 2008. I’m sure they could just stick one on there if they felt like it though, it’s altogether plausible. It’s basically a Derby.