The MRFA Competition
The Gripen E offer for the Indian Air Force builds upon the Gripen E family of aircraft. Gripen E is the most modern fighter in the competition and together with its weaponry, including the Meteor Beyond Visual Range missile, Gripen E will give the IAF an edge against its adversaries. The latest high performance sensors such as AESA radar, IRST system, advanced datalinks and AIenabled decision support gives the pilot superior situational awareness and ability to see first-act first. With its combat performance and power projection capability, Gripen E will provide the IAF with deterrence power in the region. Even more important, Gripen E can be armed with Indian-developed missiles or missiles of any provenance, unlike any other aircraft. “Any weapon of Indian choice can be integrated with the Gripen fighter,’’ said Mats Palmberg, Head of Gripen India Campaign. “Gripen can also be equipped with Israeli, European, American weapons, giving it an edge in the ongoing MRFA Multirole Fighter Aircraft) competition. We are of course also prepared to integrate Indian weapons’’ he added. Gripen E can carry nine missiles and 16 bombs as well as a large suite of other weapons and payloads. In addition, its inherent design enables easy integration of new weapon systems and stores for all types of missions, from air-to-air missiles to reconnaissance and heavy air-to ground armament. A specific feature of the aircraft is that it is programmed to deploy systems with different weights, centre of gravity and shapes with different aerodynamic features. Furthermore, its split avionics allows weapon integration and tactical system software updates or changes which can be made without the need to recertify the flight critical software. These unique features, together with standardised interfaces and open architecture orientation, results in faster and easier integration of new weapons on the fighter. In its offering to India, Saab maintains an all-inclusive fighter package that will meet the IAF’s requirements at a fraction of competitor costs. “Besides the Meteor, IRIS-T, A-Darter, and AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Airto- Air Missile), other missiles like the Astra, Python 4/5, Derby, AIM-9X Sidewinder, ASRAAM and others can also be easily integrated to Gripen,” stated Palmberg. A wide range of guided/unguided bombs, reconnaissance pods, cruise missiles and anti-ship armaments are, of course also offered.
The Meteor BVR edge
Beyond Visual Range (BVR) combat with ‘See First–Shoot First’ capability is one of the most important features of modern fighter aircraft. The Meteor has changed the dynamics of BVR combat and taken it to a new level, providing unmatched air-to-air capability. With an operational range of over 100 km, a BVRAAM Meteor missile can travel at speeds of over Mach 4, over four times the speed of sound. The missile can accelerate mid-way, leaving very little chance of the target to escape.
The Meteor is capable of engaging targets ranging from agile jets and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to cruise missiles, simultaneously and autonomously in any weather condition. “Meteor is an indispensable part of the Gripen for India offer. But we are also open to discuss other weapons and armaments that the Indian Air Force is interested in integrating to Gripen,’’ Palmberg added.
What Meteor capability means for India!
Accurate strike capability against both fast moving targets and small unmanned vehicles, is what that MBDA-developed Meteor long range missile provides! The missile will be considered a game-changer for the Indian Air Force for a long time to come. Known as the best missile of its type, Meteor has become an indispensable part of the ongoing Indian Multi-Role Fighter Programme (MRFA) and continues to generate interest around the world. The Meteor BVRAAM (Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile) currently has the largest ‘No-escape Zone’ (NEZ) of any air-to- air missile which means that the missile leaves very little chance for any target to escape once tracked. The Meteor has supersonic ramjet as opposed to rocket engines as in heavy weight missiles such as the Phoenix, R.33 and AMRAAM. The unique ramjet system allows the engine to be throttled back in order to save fuel, while the missile glides at speeds of up to Mach 4. Unlike rocket-powered-engine missiles, the Meteor saves up enough energy to make its critical attack while at its highest energy state giving it an edge while engaging highly agile targets. Furthermore, the two-way data link capability of the Meteor integration on Gripen, a feature not all fighters with Meteor offer, allows the fighter to target and re-target the missile even after it has been launched, making it almost impossible for the pilot to miss the target.
Meteor with the Gripen fighter
The advantages of Meteor can really be obtained if properly integrated and operated by a platform that can fully exploit its potential. The unique combination of Meteor and its integration with Gripen´s sensor and net centric warfare capabilities is at the core of what revolutionises air combat. Gripen was the very first test bed aircraft for the Meteor and as such, considered “the perfect aircraft” for missiles of its calibre to be tested on. In 2018, Saab successfully completed a test flight for the Meteor on Gripen E (designated 39-8) for the first time, five years after the missile was first tested on a Gripen C platform. 80 percent of Meteor firing tests have taken place on the Gripen ever since. The Gripen is designed to multiply the fleet´s combat capability through the networked operations capability where all connected assets are tightly co-ordinated and synchronised. All resources are shared and optimised to maximise the operational effect. Fusion of both on-board sensors such as the AESA radar, passive IRST and AESA EW and off-board sensors from other air, land and sea assets acquired through advanced data links, gives the pilot a coherent tactical picture and accurate target acquisition data, even against very low signature threats. The aircraft integration fully exploits the Meteor´s operational kinematic range capability, as the Gripen’s radar system performance, in terms of range and field of view and data fusion capabilities for superior situational awareness and target acquisition take full advantage of the performance envelope of the missile. These features together with the two-way data-link makes revolutionary new tactics possible, thereby maximising the probability of total mission success. As the former Swedish Air Force chief Maj Gen Mats Helgesson has said, “Meteor with the Gripen is a game-changer”!
Mats Palmberg, Head of Gripen India Campaign