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Naval Defense Industry News - Saab |
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| Saab
promotes its "Sea Gripen", a possible naval variant of the Gripen
NG fighter jet |
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Besides Brazil, Saab identified future demand for naval fighters in
countries like India, Italy and the UK, which, in the coming years will
be commissioning new aircraft carriers in their navies. According to
Saab, there is a real and viable market for this type of aircraft. Aiming
this market, the company is already developing a naval version of JAS-39
Gripen, which aims to be a variant of its newest product, the Gripen
NG (Next Generation). This new version was named Sea Gripen. |
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Sea Gripen launching from an aircraft carrier
(Picture: Saab)
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According to Saab, the requirements established by
the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) so that the Gripen had STOL capabilities
(Short Takeoff and Landing), i.e. ability to take off and land from
short stretches of road, caused the aircraft to present performance
and flying qualities similar to those required for aircraft specifically
designed to operate from an aircraft carrier.
It was to verify in practice, the "natural vocation" of Gripen
to become a naval fighter that I was invited to conduct a flight in
Gripen D (two-seater) at the headquarters of Saab in Linköping,
Sweden.
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A scale model the Brazilian Navy Sao Paulo aircraft carrier with several
"Sea Gripens" on the deck was shown recently by SAAB during
the LAAD 2013 defense exhibition in Brazil
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The purpose of the flight was to verify that the
design requirements of the Gripen confer flight characteristics that
demonstrate their conversion potential into a naval version without
major and fundamental design changes. Even with very little flight time,
the flying qualities present in the aircraft quickly became clear to
me. The Saab team, led by Tony Ogilvy, already has identified and mapped
all the areas that need special attention and engineering that represent
the greatest challenges in Gripen NG "navalization". The focus
of the work focuses primarily on correct sizing and positioning of a
stop hook, as well as the necessary modifications so that the already
robust Gripen's undercarriage is able to withstand the high loads associated
with landings on flight deck of an aircraft carrier, since, unlike a
highway, it moves on all axes and prints a unique stress not only to
the landing gear but to the whole structure of the aircraft.
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A scale model the Brazilian Navy Sao Paulo aircraft carrier with several
"Sea Gripens" on the deck was shown recently by SAAB during
the LAAD 2013 defense exhibition in Brazil
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The characteristics of the Gripen D in fact possess
flight qualities compatible with the ones desirable for naval aircraft
based on aircraft carriers. The accuracy of flight controls, stability
at low speeds, the rapid response of the motor acceleration (which,
by the way, is the same engine fitted to the F/A-18 Hornet) and AOA
great rapprochement that allows good visibility gives Gripen excellent
credentials which may lead the Sea Gripen project to a paradigm shift
in the aerospace industry.
From Gripen official blog
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