Saab rolls out its Gripen E 'Smart Fighter'

LINKOPING, Sweden, May 19 (UPI) -- Saab introduced its new Gripen E "Smart Fighter" during a ceremony Wednesday at the company's headquarters in Sweden.

"Gripen is a unique fighter concept, bringing a perfect balance between excellent operational performance, high-tech solutions, cost-efficiency and industrial partnership into one smart fighter system," the company said in a release.

The jet performs a wide range of air-to-air, air-to-surface and reconnaissance missions, the company said, and is crafted to meet current and future threats while meeting strict requirements for reliability, flight safety, training efficiency and low operating costs.

The Gripen E also features a delta-canard configuration with relaxed aerodynamic stability.

The delta wing and canards, coupled with a digital Fly-By-Wire Flight Control System, "give the fighter an optimum combination of manoeuvrability, acceleration, top speed and short-field performance," the company said.