Saab proposes Gripen E jet production to India to counter its Air Force fighter shortage.

During the Singapore Airshow, Saab said it had offered the Gripen E to the Government of India with an industrial plan covering design, production, and sustainment involving more than 300 companies.

As reported by The Economic Times on February 9, 2026, at the Singapore Airshow, Saab said it has offered the Gripen E fighter jet to India as part of a combined aircraft and industrial plan covering design, production, and sustainment involving more than 300 companies. Saab positions the Gripen E to complement existing Rafale and Tejas fighters while addressing force structure gaps and long-term modernization needs, as deliveries could begin as early as the third year after contract signature.
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The Gripen E is engineered to operate from dispersed and unprepared bases, roads, or short airstrips, a design choice rooted in its maintenance footprint and turnaround model, allowing it to refuel and rearm in under 15 minutes for air-to-air missions. (Picture source: Saab)

During the Singapore Airshow, Saab’s Chief Marketing Officer for Gripen and Vice President of Business Area Aeronautics, Mikael Franzén, said that Saab had proposed to the Government of India the induction of the Gripen E fighter jet as part of a broader plan combining aircraft acquisition with the creation of a multi-layered aerospace industry in India. Saab said the offer covers design, production, and maintenance activities, with aircraft initially built in Sweden and production then shifting to India at a rapid pace. The plan includes a delivery timeline starting as soon as the third year after contract signature, followed by a steep ramp-up in capacity. Saab also stated that the industrial framework is intended to involve more than 300 tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 companies, including MSMEs.

Franzén said that Gripen could fit in the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a complementary fighter positioned between the Dassault Rafale and the HAL Tejas, as the Rafale represents the high-end multirole fighter optimized for deep strike, heavy payload, and long-range missions, while the Tejas is intended to rebuild numbers at the lighter end and support domestic production. Saab explicitly frames the aircraft as capable of being inducted quickly and in larger numbers than heavier fighters, which is directly relevant to an air force operating well below its sanctioned 42-squadron strength. Therefore, the Gripen E is positioned by Saab to increase the IAF's mission-ready fighters available to commanders, improve daily sortie numbers, and reduce pressure on higher-cost assets during routine air defense and tactical missions.

When comparing concrete strengths, the Gripen E integrates the Raven ES-05 AESA radar coupled with an infrared search and track system and an internal electronic warfare suite to provide 360-degree spherical coverage, combined with electronic attack options such as jammer pods and decoy concepts, all managed through a modular mission system architecture. Moreover, the Gripen's architecture would allow the Indian Air Force to build, qualify, incorporate, and certify their own software without Saab's involvement, so updates can be implemented quickly. On the other hand, the Rafale relies on the RBE2-AA AESA radar and the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, which are highly capable but tightly coupled to manufacturer-controlled upgrade and certification cycles. The Tejas Mk-1A and Mk-2 integrate the Uttam AESA radar and indigenous electronic warfare systems, but their capability growth remains dependent on production scale and subsystem maturity, two other strengths of the Gripen.

The Gripen E also introduces a distinct basing, survivability, and operational resilience model compared to the Rafale and Tejas. The Rafale is optimized for conventional air base operations and long-range strike missions, while Tejas is primarily structured around standard Indian Air Force infrastructure. On the other hand, the Gripen E is engineered to operate from dispersed and unprepared bases, roads, or short airstrips, a design choice rooted in its maintenance footprint and turnaround model, allowing it to refuel and rearm in under 15 minutes for air-to-air missions with a limited ground crew requirement. The Gripen E is also a technology-focused aircraft built around constant updating and upgrading, as recently demonstrated with its first AI-controlled flight. This would allow the Indian Air Force to integrate a national artificial intelligence software directly into the avionics core in the future, avoiding prolonged fleet grounding due to external schedules.

As of today, the Indian Air Force currently operates Rafale and Tejas while managing a broader inventory that includes Su-30MKI, upgraded MiG-29, Mirage 2000, and Jaguar aircraft. Squadron strength remains below the sanctioned level of 42 squadrons, reflecting retirements of older aircraft, such as the MiG-21, and slower induction of replacements. This situation places pressure on the IAF to identify options that can restore numbers while maintaining operational relevance. For example, India is forced to ask Oman and Ecuador for help in order to enable its Jaguars to fly, sign an agreement with a US company to modernize its Russian-made MiG-29 fighters, while it remains unclear which stealth fighter the country might choose between the AMCA, the F-35, or the Su-57. Therefore, the induction of the Gripen could address several problems at the same time: how many fighter jets can actually be flown, how production could be increased to return to the minimal squadron number, and how India could modernize its fighter fleet in the long term with minimal foreign interference.

The Gripen E itself is a single-seat multirole fighter belonging to the E/F series, which was developed as a substantially revised version of earlier Gripen C/D variants. The Swedish fighter jet has a length of 15.2 meters, a wingspan of 8.6 meters, and a maximum takeoff weight of 16,500 kg, placing it in the medium-weight fighter category. It is powered by the GE F414G turbofan engine rated at 98 kN of thrust, allowing a maximum speed above Mach 2 and a certified maneuvering limit of up to +9 g. The airframe incorporates increased internal fuel capacity compared to earlier variants, supporting longer mission endurance without external tanks. The Gripen E features ten external hardpoints and supports air-to-air refuelling, expanding mission flexibility across air defense, strike, and reconnaissance roles. A Mauser BK 27 mm internal cannon is fitted as standard on the single-seat variant.

Indeed, the Gripen E is designed to carry a wide range of air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons sourced internationally, such as Meteor beyond visual range missiles and IRIS-T within visual range missiles. The ten hardpoints allow simultaneous carriage of weapons, targeting pods, electronic attack pods, and reconnaissance pods, depending on mission requirements. The integrated electronic warfare system supports radar warning, missile approach warning, electronic countermeasures, and electronic attack functions, including support for escort and self-protection missions. Operationally, the Gripen E is designed for high availability, with stated refuel and rearm times for air-to-air missions under 15 minutes using a limited ground crew, and general combat turnaround times in the 15 to 25 minute range. The aircraft is engineered to operate from short or dispersed road bases and austere airstrips, as well as in extreme climatic conditions, reducing dependence on large fixed air bases.

The avionics and sensor suite of Gripen E is structured around multi-sensor fusion and networked operations rather than reliance on a single system. The aircraft integrates the Raven ES-05 AESA radar mounted on a swash plate for expanded field of regard, an infrared search and track system, and an internal electronic warfare suite providing full spherical coverage. These sensors are linked through a modular avionics architecture that separates mission systems from flight-critical software, allowing rapid software updates without extensive recertification. Communication and identification systems include Link 16, national data links, and IFF Mode 5, enabling interoperability with joint and allied forces. The cockpit uses a wide area display and a helmet-mounted display to present fused sensor data and support pilot decision-making. Saab states that this architecture allows operators to integrate and certify their own mission software, including electronic warfare logic and artificial intelligence functions.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.