Buying military equipment is half the battle, you still need to be able to service it. Yesterday, December 8, the portal scramble.nl He reported that the entire South African fleet of Saab JAS39 Gripen fighter jets was grounded due to delays in contracts for their maintenance.
"Following extensive discussions between the Air Force and Saab on the contract relating to the JAS39 Gripen, proposals have been submitted by both parties, which are currently being considered to ensure that this issue is finally settled by the parties concerned. Unfortunately, the discussions took longer than expected, which negatively affected the country's air defense capabilities," said Sipiwe Dlamini, speaker of the South African Defense Ministry.
JAS39 Gripen Fighter
Image source: scramble.nl
The South African Air Force ordered 26 JAS39 Gripen fighters in 1999, but due to payment delays, deliveries began only in 2008 and lasted four years. One of the planes was later written off due to an engine accident. According to unofficial data, underfunding for ten years has led to cannibalization, as a result of which about half of the aircraft have become donors of spare parts, and the flight crew does not have sufficient training due to a shortage of simulators.
The fourth-generation JAS 39 Gripen light multipurpose fighter was developed by the Swedish company Saab in the 80s. The abbreviation JAS stands for Jakt - fighter, Attack - attack aircraft, Spaning - scout. The first model of the fighter (Gripen A) was adopted by the Swedish Air Force in 1997, and in 2016 the manufacturer introduced the newest version of the aircraft - Gripen E. To date, JAS 39 Gripen fighters are exported and are in service with the Air Forces of Hungary, the Czech Republic, South Africa, Thailand, Brazil and other countries.
