Saab Gripen E/F (Gripen NG)

Apparently Sweden has been offering to possible F-35 buyers a Gripen-E but with its' GE F414G engine replaced with the Eurojet EJ230:


The Swedish manufacturer, Saab, confirmed to Global Defense Corp on 10 April that the Saab Gripen export customers receive all of the same high-end capabilities as the Swedish primary combat aircraft operator, responding to comments made by US President Donald Trump earlier in March when he referred to a ‘toned-down' version of the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) combat aircraft for non-US customers. #Sweden #Gripen #Canada #Portugal #Colombia #Tariffs #tradewar #Saab #Trump #military #trending #canadianAirForce
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A.P.Richelieu said:
Does the EJ230 actually exist?
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No. I assume the customer is left to pay for its development and its integration into Gripen at hefty cost. I wonder whether there's even anyone in the Eurojet companies available to do this given they're also developing new fighter engines for GCAP and SCAF..
 
red admiral said:
No. I assume the customer is left to pay for its development and its integration into Gripen at hefty cost. I wonder whether there's even anyone in the Eurojet companies available to do this given they're also developing new fighter engines for GCAP and SCAF..
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If s new engine is going to be designed, then it would probably be better to take up GKNs initial proposal to build something better than an RM12, assuming the can do so without depending on US parts.
So far the US has not stopped a single Gripen project by blocking the engine.
They would not approve an AESA radar before the Norwegians made their choice.
 
NMaude said:
Apparently Sweden has been offering to possible F-35 buyers a Gripen-E but with its' GE F414G engine replaced with the Eurojet EJ230:
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YouTube recommended this video to me. I didn't watch it but searched cursorily for corroborating information elsewhere. At the time, I found none. As much as I'd like to see an entirely "Euro" version of the Gripen, it's a delicate proposition at best. Hope the Swedes are covertly working on that (years ago somewhere I already proposed a Ukrainian C/D tooling based version produced with Aero Vochody and such but didn't envision a re-engining) but I don't see the US approving any more sales of the current version (and there are several ongoing efforts) should a better, independent, competing alternative become available.
 
A.P.Richelieu said:
Does the EJ230 actually exist?
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It's certainly been proposed as the early growth option for the EJ200.

Which kinda brings me to another question: WHY hasn't there been a push from Typhoon users for uprated engines? The US has certainly kept increasing fighter engine power. Is it because Typhoon hasn't had as much weight gain?
 
Scott Kenny said:
It's certainly been proposed as the early growth option for the EJ200.

Which kinda brings me to another question: WHY hasn't there been a push from Typhoon users for uprated engines? The US has certainly kept increasing fighter engine power. Is it because Typhoon hasn't had as much weight gain?
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Because there wasn't a need? No big weight gains (or drag), no largely increased electrical ussages and no real need for extra Ränge until now. Any development was "wasted" money until now but LTE should be also including that.
 
Same exact story for Rafale, despite being a bomb truck from F2 standard, with weaker engines.
 
UpForce said:
YouTube recommended this video to me. I didn't watch it but searched cursorily for corroborating information elsewhere. At the time, I found none. As much as I'd like to see an entirely "Euro" version of the Gripen, it's a delicate proposition at best. Hope the Swedes are covertly working on that (years ago somewhere I already proposed a Ukrainian C/D tooling based version produced with Aero Vochody and such but didn't envision a re-engining) but I don't see the US approving any more sales of the current version (and there are several ongoing efforts) should a better, independent, competing alternative become available.
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So far, the US has not said anything that they want to block the engine.
As far as I understand, SAAB has a license to export the engine, with the exception of a list of countries like Russia, China and North Korea. The US can probably add to this list for security reasons, but not because they want to sell F-16s.
 
A.P.Richelieu said:
As far as I understand, SAAB has a license to export the engine, with the exception of a list of countries like Russia, China and North Korea.
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I'd be surprised at that - even GE can't export the F414 without applying to the State Dept on a case by case basis.
 
A.P.Richelieu said:
That link is dead, at least to me.
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Disable your script blockers and CTRL+F5. Then it will whine about you using an adblocker, but click past that.

Not a lot of details, basically says that the EJ230 pitch didn't have as good a bid package. Had the thrust (72/102kN), but had fewer spares available (there are MANY F414s out there), was less more expensive, and apparently GE was willing to either set up a factory in India or license production in India.

edit:eek:ops.
 
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A.P.Richelieu said:
That link is dead, at least to me.
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The relevant bits ...

EJ230 Engine: Eurojet’s High-Thrust Contender That Lost Out to GE F414 for Tejas MkII and AMCA MkI

April 16, 2025

The EJ230, an advanced uprated variant of the proven Eurojet EJ200 engine, was once in the running to power India’s next-generation fighter platforms - the Tejas MkII and AMCA MkI. Designed to offer enhanced performance over the baseline EJ200 that powers the Eurofighter Typhoon, the EJ230 delivers a maximum wet thrust of approximately 102 kN, with a dry thrust rating of around 72 kN.

These performance figures placed the EJ230 firmly within the thrust class required by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for its upcoming fighter platforms, making it a serious contender during the tendering process for the Tejas MkII and the first variant of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Despite its impressive thrust-to-weight ratio, modular construction, and growth potential, the EJ230 ultimately lost out to the General Electric F414 engine. The F414, which powers several frontline fighters globally including the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Saab Gripen E, was selected for its lower cost, existing supply chain, and its ability to meet India’s performance and production requirements under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Sources indicate that the GE F414 offered a more economical package and was also backed by stronger industrial partnership terms, giving it an edge over Eurojet’s bid. The Eurojet consortium, led by Rolls-Royce and MTU Aero Engines, had proposed co-development and technology transfer, but GE’s offer underlined cost-efficiency and timely delivery as decisive factors.

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A.P.Richelieu said:
So far, the US has not said anything that they want to block the engine.
As far as I understand, SAAB has a license to export the engine, with the exception of a list of countries like Russia, China and North Korea. The US can probably add to this list for security reasons, but not because they want to sell F-16s.
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As Kiltonge implied, there are even recent examples of the kinds of US political and administrative scrutiny F414 exports are under. As the current US power structure is displaying significant personalized, mercurial, authoritarian and extortive tendencies, it could very well react in a retaliatory manner toward Sweden and SAAB solely upon the prospect of losing US national export control leverage over Gripen.

Thus Sweden and SAAB (and their non-US allies) have to weigh carefully the pros and cons of maintaining increasingly precarious anticipatory deference to the US regime in this regard. These quite unprecedented considerations are hardly Gripen-specific but apply to it as well. Also, Gripen E/F is just entering the service even with Sweden's own air force and I think they've also stated (or implied) that decisions about its successor will not be taken until 2031. I wonder whether the current environment and its long-term ramifications will expedite this process.

I have to admit to not even having considered juxtaposing Gripen E/F to the F-16, me referring to a "a better, independent, competing alternative" was solely in the context of a speculative "Euro" version of Gripen not under any US export purview.
 
UpForce said:
I have to admit to not even having considered juxtaposing Gripen E/F to the F-16, me referring to a "a better, independent, competing alternative" was solely in the context of a speculative "Euro" version of Gripen not under any US export purview.
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Germany screwed turkish eurogfighter order again literally yesterday.
To become functionally independent in aircraft manufacturing, you have to become France or even Russia(even Rafale isn't completely clean).
 
Ainen said:
To become functionally independent in aircraft manufacturing, you have to become France or even Russia(even Rafale isn't completely clean).
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And then you May never be fully independent on outsider because there is a good chance that even a lot of the critical base materials come from outside.
 
TomcatViP said:
Wouldn't that be easier to respect the rules of law and act fully as a democracy?

Don't damn the Germams for this.
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The thing is, we’d have much more leverage on Turkey once Eurofighter is confirmed. Blocking the deal could mean they go for someone else who is less likely to care about Turkish internal politics.
 


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