The Future has Arrived - Gripen in South Africa

Ahead of Africa Aerospace & Defence (AAD) 2006, and to celebrate the arrival of South Africa's first Gripen new generation fighter, we have produced a brand new video featuring air-to-air footage of Gripen (SA01) flying in and around the Southern Cape, South Africa in August 2006. Filmed by renowned South African aviation photographer Frans Dely, and with a specially composed soundtrack by South African composer Ron Brettel, of Mathambo Music, this new video provides a glimpse of what young future South African pilots can look forward to with the arrival of Gripen.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• gripen
• jets
• military
• saab
• grippen
• africa

[tidls]

The Gripen is a 4th gen fighter regardless of version. The C/D version has for example more modern systems, but its basic infrastructure is still the same. Contrary to popular opinion, the Gripen, as well as the Eurofighter and Rafale all belong to the same generation as the F-22 and the F-35(it's called 4th gen in Europe, but 5th gen in the US and Russia). Their infrastructure is the same, and that is what sets them apart from the previous generation like the F-15, F-16, MiG-29, Su-27.

[haroakes]

Where will they find black monkeys to fly these planes? Lets see how long it will take before these are crashed by AA pilots... he he

[KMD55X]

@haroakes same with the tank that arrived in s.a...the female operating it killed a few people and claiming the tank went crazy...hahaha...at least at swartkopz airbase we have able and capable people flying the Gripen

[gekolizzard]

Gripen may or may not be better than the F22 but thats kinda moot when we dont have enough qualified pilots to fly them.

South African Defense Force?..................what a frikken joke!

[ASTEagle]

@foxinterspecial any radar can pick up an F22, just weather you can tell its an F22 or a bird

[s7ra73]

HEy can anyone tell me what the sountrack-song in the background ist? its really impresive :)

[rynopot]

@sshapewa

But SAAF bombed their asses tp pieces. Mirage F1, Mirage III, Buccaneer and Canberra bombed you to pieces.

It was war: NO ONE WINS WHEN THERE IS WAR!!!

[Fruitjoke]

@foxinterspecial How come? I mean that sounds like brilliant.

[gameplaya117]

I think its nice that they got the World Cup and some kickass jets.

[sshapewa]

@Ghoulza wtf you say you won?swapo won at the end of the day,plus most of the sadf crackers never fought,UNITA,FNLA and many other uncletom house niggers like savimbi and mobutu did the most fighting with swapo.

[wellerocks]

@Ghoulza well that's true. Such a shame with BAE, always messing things up for the Swedish weapons manufacturers. Although, Gripen is without any doubt the safest, easiest and cheapest fighter to buy, costing almost 1/2 as much in maintenance and to fly as the nearest competitor. It's the best choice the SAF could have maid, buying the worlds cheapest but most effective 4.5 generation fighter jet. F-16's, F18's, MiG-29's/35's or Eurofighters would have been almost twice as expensive.

[Ghoulza]

@wellerocks I would love to watch that... won worrying thing is, I've seen our pilots, all 9 quilified of them.... we have order, I think 28 of these? but only have 9 trained pilots!!!!! plus been told we can only afford to to haveless than half the needed trainer hours per years..... greta plane... but if you cant keep it in the air and cant keep the pilots trained, it's not much use