F 16 block 70/72 VS SAAB GRIPEN E - MMRCA II JET RACE !! Which is better for IAF ??
Indian Airforce needs about 400 jets in next 10 years and this number will supposedly grow. MMRCA II tender is for about 150-200 single engine fighters & that there are two frontrunners when it comes to MMRCA II which are Lockheed Martin's F 16 Block 70/72 & Saab Gripen E.
Both these jets are top of the line 4.5 gen fighters (Saab Gripen E is often called smart fighter and has even be called 6th gen as a promotion)
One more thing which is in the contract is that the producer should produce the jets in India under MAKE IN INDIA and Transfer of Technology is also a part of it. So let's now cut through layers and try to understand which one is better. F-16 Block 70/72-
F 16 Block 70/72 is the latest block of F 16 which is one of the best selling fighter jet in the world and is operated by many nations (about 27) and Block 70 is a quantum jump and this variant has 5th gen Radars & sensors. The block 70/72 fighter has some highly desired features like a very advanced AN/APG-80 AESA radar which is very reliable and has nearly double the range of the predecessor radars. The Electronic Warfare suite is very advanced and Infra-red Search & Tracker (IRST). The engine produces 145 KN wet thrust & has a modern data-link system which is on par with that of a 5th gen fighter. Another thing which favoured F 16 Block 70/72 is that it's purchase cost is lower than it's opponent Saab Gripen E. F-16 is a combat proven fighter jet & Lockheed officials call it " The most advanced F-16".
SAAB GRIPEN E- Saab Gripen E is the latest in the series and is often called the smart fighter because of it's capabilities. It is one of the most advanced fighter jet in the world. It is compatible with a wide variety of weapons including Air to Air missiles, anti ship missiles, laser guided weapons and glide bombs etc. It was the platform which was selected for testing Meteor missile. The Gripen E is equipped with state of the art next gen Selex ES AESA radars and state of art EW suite. Also the data-link used in gripen E is one of the fastest in world & is better than any other 4.5 gen fighter in world. The GE F414G engine used can produce 98 KN wet thrust and this allows the jet to achieve a max speed of Mach 2 at high altitude, this also allows jet to supercruise at speed of Mach 1.2 which means that the jet can fly at supersonic speed without using afterburner. It is equipped with retractable air to air refuelling probe, IRST probe, state of the art communication sensors etc and all these sensors are very effectively fused togetherand this makes the jet so advanced. Also similar to F-35 the jet has an inbuilt Targeting pod and has provision for adding more pods on other mounts provided if needed. Saab Gripen E can be compared to F-35(still has issues) when it comes to datalink and sensor fusion capabilities keeping in mind the costs. The cost of operating a Saab Gripen E is lower than that of a F-16 Block 70/72. WHICH IS BETTER FOR IAF? - MY OPINION In my opinion Saab Gripen E is the better jet and I predict that it will come out as the final winner. The following are the reasons-
Even when F-16 is a proven platform it has already matured and it has no scope for development and upgrades in future. Saab which is a comparatively new platform has the potential to mature and it has scope for upgrade in future.
F-16 purchase cost is lower than that of Saab Gripen E but we should not forget that the operational cost and maintenance cost of Saab Gripen E is lower and so in longer run the Saab will be more economical.
Also not to forget that The contract has term for Make In India. Saab has not just offered to Make the jets in India but has aggressively pushed for it's jet by Promising development of an Aeronautical Ecosystem in India. Lockheed earlier had offered to shift production line to India but now has refused to do the same and this means if F-16 is selected then the jets will not be made in India (Lockheed may offer to start a secondary production line).
Transfer Of Technology- Saab has not just offered full TOT for jet but has offered co-development & full TOT of its special state of the art next gen Gallium Nitride (GaN) AESA radars. Lockheed on other hand has hinted that it will not be sharing all the technology with India. It is ready to give all basic technologies but will not give special know-how technologies.
Saab has also offered maintenance support for it's jets for long run.
Summary - These above reasons make me believe that Saab Gripen E is better jet for IAF and that IAF should select Saab Gripen E because Lockheed is not even following terms of deal by not sharing all technologies and by not making the jets in India.
