'Gripen jet best bet for M'sia's defence'
Published on: Saturday, May 23, 2015
Kuala Lumpur: Sweden's latest Gripen fighter jet has what it takes to shoot down the competition to defend Malaysia's skies.Its manufacturer, Swedish-based defence and security company Saab Group believes the reasons lie in the Gripen NG's cost-efficiency and multi-role operational performances.Saab Malaysia Vice-President Thomas Linden said the Gripen multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) was among the first aircraft to focus on air-to-air combat, based on the operational range, payload and built-in Net Centric Warfare (NCW).
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He said the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) was currently reviewing the Gripen in a move to replace its ageing 10 Russian-made MiG-29 aircraft."RMAF is now evaluating our offer, and I strongly believe that Gripen will be the best solution for Malaysia in defence," he told Bernama after attending a lecture on 'Combat Air System: Future Development, Challenges and Way Forward' at the National Defence University of Malaysia here.The talk was presented by Saab Aeronautics's Chief Engineer of Future Air System, Knut Ovrebo. Swedish Ambassador to Malaysia, Bengt G. Carlsson attended the event.Linden said Gripen NG was one of the best choices as a new generation fighter jet, and had recevied positive feedback and reviews from RMAF and others during the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA '15) in March.
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He said Saab had been in Malaysia for 40 years supplying the Malaysian Armed Forces with high-performance, cost-efficient defence systems such as navy and army radar systems, airborne self-protection systems for fighters, naval command and control systems and army support weapons including anti-tank weapons.It also supplied military equipments to many armed forces in the world, and had supplied the Gripen NG fighter jet to South Africa, Hungary, Czech and Brazil.
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Meanwhile, Ovrebo told Bernama that Gripen NG, which was equipped with a 27mm Mauser BK27 gun, litening and reccelite, was not only usable in times of war but could also be used for daily training.He said Gripen also has several advantages such as excellent combat efficiency, situational awareness, seamless collaboration and high survivability.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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