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The JAS Consortium constructors also planned a double-seat version
from the very start, so the single-seater was designed accordingly. When the
Swedish government placed an order for a double-seat aircraft, the Saab
company could immediately respond and come up with a double-seat prototype,
which firstly took off on April 29th, 1996. The first serially assembled
aircraft was tested on November 11th, 1996.
Since then many new Gripen versions were created, such as:
SAAB JAS 39 A ... basic single-seater
SAAB JAS 39 B ... full combat double-seater with extended fuselage,
without a cannon
SAAB JAS 39 C ... upgraded single-seater with modernized cockpit,
communication equipment, engine, and refueling capability
SAAB JAS 39 D ... similar to B version, but with the capabilities of
version C
After introducing Gripens in Sweden, the JAS Consortium tried to penetrate
international markets, succeeding in the Czech Republic where 14 aircrafts
were sold - 12 type C single-seaters and 2 type D double-seaters. Another
countries using Gripen in their air force are Hungary, which also owns 14
aircrafts, and the Republic of South Africa, which owns 28 of these
fighters.
Technical tactical data:
Wingspan (m)......................................8.40
Length (m)..........................................14.10
Height (m)...........................................4.50
Weight: empty (kg).............................6,800
Weight: loaded (kg)............................14,000
Engine:................................................Volvo Aero RM12
Net thrust: dry (kN).............................54
Net thrust: with afterburner (kN)........80.54
Maximum speed (km/h).......................2,128 (M=2)
Maximum range (km)...........................3,200
Absolute ceiling (m).............................20,000
Armament:
The single-seat fighter version is equipped with 1 x 27 mm Mauser cannon.
This aircraft can carry a variety of under fuselage weaponry, ranging from
air-to-air, air-to-sea, air-to-ground rockets to a variety of bombs,
laser-guided or conventional. In addition, it can carry a range of
containers, such as bomb containers for scouting or target marking; this
aircraft can also carry flat trajectory projectiles.
Poweplant:
The aircraft's engine is GENERALS ELECTRIC F404J, in Sweden also known as
RM12, made by VOLVO Flygmotor. The engine was a perfect choice for Gripen,
but in order to fulfill all safety parameters, it had to be radically
redesigned and improved in its final version. Employing the Swedish
technology, materials, and after a construction overhaul, the possibility
of engine failure was brought to a minimum. The probability of a crash
caused by a malfunction was also lowered, now being comparable with
two-engine aircrafts. Moreover, the engine is safer and more reliable in
respect to foreign object damage, such as sucking up a bird.
Conclusion:
In my opinion, Saab JAS 39 Gripen is one of the best fourth generation jet
fighters in the world, and I am glad that it protects the sky above my
homeland. I also hope that it will serve our air force as well as its
predecessor Mig-21.
CONSTRUCTION:
Basic assembly:
I began by cleaning and adjusting the components, then I drilled all the
necessary holes for landing gear bays and various other openings. Next I
adjusted parts from the CMK set, then I fitted all of the pieces with the
fuselage, gluing them carefully one by one, so as to avoid unnecessary
filling. When everything was in its proper place, I turned my attention
to the cockpit. The cockpit assembly proved to be the most troublesome;
it was perhaps one of the last components in the casting mold, therefore
some parts were shorter by 0.5-1.0 mm, which I had to correct with a bit
of filling and adjusting. After fitting, painting, adding of colored
etching from the CMK set, and cockpit weathering, I glued the two fuselage
halves together and start working on wings. First I had to cut off the
slats, flaps, and trailing edges, which I replaced with the CMK set. When
I finally attached the wing, I was startled. After adjusting the model
into a geometrically correct shape, there suddenly appeared 1 mm gaps,
which were quite difficult to fill. After a tedious filling and sanding
of the various components and elegant curves, I was rewarded with a long
awaited result.
Panel lines:
I carefully corrected all panel lines with a razor saw and then rescribed
them slowly using a needle with the smallest tip. I sanded the rescribed
lines with a 2000 grit sandpaper, thus concluding the assembly phase.
Painting a coloring:
I opted for the Hungarian Air Force camouflage, which was recently
introduced to the public. I sprayed the entire model with Tamiya filler
and consolidated its surface. Then I masked the front canopy panel and the
cockpit + all of the already painted openings, and I started spraying the
surface; first I sprayed the bottom surface with satin gray, let it dry,
then I sprayed the top surfaces along the hand-drawn line with mid-grey,
and I was done. Finally, I sprayed the entire surface with gloss enamel
and let it dry for two days.
Decals:
When the enamel surface was totally dry and solid, I applied all of the
decals according to photographs. In order to obtain perfect adhesion, I
used the "miraculous" decal solutions from Agama, which worked flawlessly.
Then I sprayed the model with enamel and let it dry again.
Weathering:
Once the surface was finished, I started to apply weathering effects
compatible with modern aircrafts, mainly using water and oil paints. To
darken the rims and edges I used oil paints, which I smeared gently with
a cloth, so that they created an appropriately shadowy weathering. When the
oil paints dried out, I used water colors to fill the model joints, and
then let them dry.
Final assembly:
During the drying out period, I prepared the additional component sets,
such as landing gears, cockpit canopy, weapons, or pilot seat, which I
then glued into the already dry model. When dry and properly adjusted, I
sprayed the model one more time with enamel.
Final touch:
In the very end, I attached the cockpit canopy and labels, and the model
was complete.
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