| Associated Press Wed 04-JUN-1986 07:12 BRF--Sweden-Air Force
Air Force Chief Says Sweden Has Dangerously Few Planes
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - The Swedish Air Force has top quality
equipment but dangerously few aircraft, the air force chief was quoted
as saying.
"The air force has been reduced in quantity to an extent that
jeopardizes efficiency," Lieutenant General Sven-Olof Olson was quoted
as saying in an interview in the Swedish Aviation Magazine MACH. "We
have now reached such a low level that one feels uncertain if we can do
the job," he was quoted as saying.
The air force has gradually been reduced from 50 squadrons in 1955 to
19.5 squadrons 1986. It consists of Swedish-produced Viggen and the
older Draken fighter planes. They eventually will be replaced by
Swedish-manufactured JAS39 Gripen multi-role fighters. The first Gripen
is scheduled to make its initial flight next fall.
The air force so far has ordered 30 of the new planes.
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| Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
From: [email protected] (Lars-Henrik Eriksson)
Subject: Re: JAS-39 crashed igen
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Kista
Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1993 20:24:18 GMT
In article <[email protected]> [email protected]
(Olli-Jukka Paloneva Tkkk) writes:
According to the Swedish television of Finland a JAS-39 crashed (Olle
S�derlund) somewhere in Sweden and the pilot rescued with the help of the
parachute. What were reasons for this crash?
The SAAB JAS 39 "Gripen" crashed today during an air display over
central Stockholm. The following very preliminary account of the
accident is based on commentaries and video recordings of the accident
that I've seen on Swedish TV. Better information should be available in
a few days.
The aircraft was flying straight and level at low altitude and moderate
speed. It began a gentle rocking motion in roll, then the nose pitched
up rapidly, passing the vertical in a manouver resembling Pugachev's
cobra. When the nose was well past the vertical - the pitch-up angle
appeared to be about 120 degrees (!) - the pilot ejected and landed
unhurt. After some further manouvres, the aircraft settled in a
vertical descent in about level attitude. From what I could see, the
aircraft did not break up in the air.
The aircraft struck a small hill on an island (Laangholmen), exploding
on impact. The crash site was only tens of metres from a major bridge
(Vaesterbron) packed with spectators. Miraculously no one on the ground
was killed. Three people got slight burns, one sprained his ankle
while running away. The only damage on the ground was that a tree was
struck down.
JAS39 is a statically unstable aircraft controlled by computers (called
"fly-by-wire", or FBW). The FBW system was immedeately suspected to be
the reason for the crash. Indeed, the behaviour of the aircraft is
about what you would expect after a major failure of the FBW system. A
person listening on the radio frequency used by the aircraft during the
display claims that the immediately before he lost control, the pilot
reported that a circuit breaker had tripped.
This is in contrast with the previous JAS 39 crash where the FBW system
was functioning correctly according to the control laws in force, but
where these control laws were incorrect causing the aircraft to
overreact to the pilot's control inputs when the aircraft was hit by a
wind gust during landing.
The aircraft that crashed today was the first one to be delivered to
the Swedish Air Force. It was flown by the same SAAB display pilot that
flew the first accident aircraft!
--
Lars-Henrik Eriksson Internet: [email protected]
Swedish Institute of Computer Science Phone (intn'l): +46 8 752 15 09
Box 1263 Telefon (nat'l): 08 - 752 15 09
S-164 28 KISTA, SWEDEN Fax: +46 8 751 72 30
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| Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
From: [email protected] (Peter Lund)
Subject: Re: JAS-39 crashed igen
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Ellemtel Telecom Systems Labs, Stockholm, Sweden
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1993 09:15:51 GMT
I think this is the last national aircraft development project for
Sweden. This because the Swedish state budget is too small to carry
the risks of this type of high-tech development. Development that the
last decades has become more and more expensive. Next project of this
type will for certain be a cooperation between several European
countries. Sweden has to search for new friends now when the we have
abandoned the neutrality status.
---
Peter Lund, Stockholm
|
| From: [email protected] (Reuter/Simon Haydon)
Newsgroups: clari.world.europe.northern,clari.world.europe.western,
clari.tw.defense,clari.biz.world_trade,clari.biz.economy.world,
clari.news.usa.gov.foreign_policy,clari.news.gov.usa
Subject: Sweden attacks U.S. over fighter jet export bar
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 4:20:22 PDT
STOCKHOLM, April 26 (Reuter) - Swedish Defence Minister
Anders Bjorck said on Wednesday that U.S. blocking of exports of
its Gripen fighter jet could be counter-productive and hasten
the development of a joint European defence industry.
Bjorck said in an interview that demands from Washington to
review each jet export application on a case-by-case basis
because of the plane's U.S. components were unfair. The
single-engine Gripen, a lightweight multi-role fighter, contains
28 percent of U.S.-made components, including the engine.
"We cannot accept a system where we will be subordinated to
U.S. commercial interests," the defence minister told Reuters.
"If this is not settled in a satisfactory way it will be
very counter-productive for U.S. interests because in the long
run it will foster the creation of a joint European defence
industry in some high-tech areas," Bjorck added.
Bjorck said Swedes still felt bitter at a 1974 decision by
the Carter administration to block exports of an earlier jet,
the Viggen, to India because of its U.S. components. "We have
never forgotten that in Sweden," he said.
Bjorck said Sweden was interested in exporting the jet to
eastern and central European countries, although it would not be
ready for sale abroad for at least two years. He said Sweden had
no intention of selling the plane to countries that Washington
considered were a threat to U.S. security interests.
"We would like to have from the U.S. a green list" giving
solid guarantees that exports to certain countries would be
approved. "We are not asking to sell Gripen to countries which
are blocked for U.S. exports," he said.
Bjorck said companies in the expanding Swedish defence
sector would look at European alternatives for the plane and
other components unless Washington loosened its export policies.
The Gripen, however, first has to prove itself after
crashing twice in the past five years during its testing phase,
both times due to steering problems. It is due to be in full
combat-ready service with the Swedish Air Force by mid-1997.
Its main builder Saab Military Aircraft, said U.S. content
of the jet could easily rise to 40 percent depending on what
weapons and training simulator a specific client chooses, Saab
Military Aircraft marketing director Jan Hammarstrom said.
The U.S. components include the plane's General
Electric-supplied F404 engine and extensive avionics.
Hammarstrom said the U.S. aerospace industry could view the
plane as an attractive platform for cooperation, rather than as
a competitive threat.
"Perhaps it's in the U.S.'s interest to support sales of the
Gripen," Hammarstrom told a recent press briefing.
Both Saab and the Swedish Air Force are hedging their bets
on picking partners for the plane's radar-guided missiles,
probably the most important and expensive armament such planes
can carry, for home and export markets.
The Air Force and Sweden's defence procurement agency were
due to make a final choice between American, British and
French-made missiles by the end of April, but the airforce says
no decision is imminent.
No current or projected American aircraft has the same
technical and price profile as the Gripen, Saab says, noting
that the planned F-22 would probably cost about three times as
much as the Gripen, which Saab estimates will have an export
price of about 200 million crowns ($25 million).
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