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.