Alan Minyard wrote in message . ..
On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 01:53:14 GMT, "Bjørnar Bolsøy" wrote:

Alan Minyard wrote in
:
On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 19:25:08 GMT, "Bjørnar Bolsøy"
wrote:

The Grippens are a gift. When something is completely "free"
it rather skews the "cost/benefit" equation. This was simply
a PR stunt on the part of the Swedes.

Al Minyard

On the other hand it shows that it is possible to produce
an advanced and effective weapons system at a manageble
cost. In the words of Colonel Per-Olof Eldh:

http://www.gripen.com/gripen_news/gr...ws_2001_01.pdf

?Compared to other fighter aircraft
currently in service, Gripen is a totally
superior product,? he boasts. ?It is a
perfect blend of simplicity and sophistication,
and by far the best handling aircraft
I have ever flown.?

?While its flyaway price is comparable to that of a
new F-16 C/D, Gripen?s operating cost of less than
US$2,500 / flying hour (including fuel and all levels
of maintenance) is unrivalled.


Regards...

This has no relevance, as the Gripens are completely free.

It's simply cost-effective.

And quoting company web sites is not a good way to
achieve credibility.

Al Minyard

It's a pilot with 3,500 hours in jets, and the
statement is nothing spectacular, it simply
emphasises the superiority of a 4ht generation
fighter compared to older designs.


Regards...

It is still company propaganda. There is no
standard for what generation an aircraft is. The
F-22 or F-25, now, are most probably the only
aircraft in the world that are "of their generation",
stealth, super-cruise (F-22), really advanced
avionics, etc.




The Griped is simply not in that class.

Al Minyard

True... the Gripen is probably a couple of decades ahead (and as Al
puts it, in another class) of anything Lockheed or Boeing can produce.
At least I haven't seen any indication of Saab loosing their position
as being far ahead of anyone else when it comes to most areas of
military aircraft technology.