Is the Gripen still in use?
Is Saab still making planes?
The new Saab 9-4x the world's first production plug-in hybrid will be assembled at its Trollhttan, Sweden plant. Why hasn't GM used a supercapacitor for a hybrid powertrain yet? I assume it would have similar reliability issues. GM has some supercapacitors, but to date it has been unable to meet durability requirements. GM says that in the future it could move to lithium supercaps, because these will have a lifetime of 1 million hours, while current lead acid and zinc bromide (LiFePO 4) batteries die at 200,000 or 300,000 cycles. Battery life in hybrid cars is typically 500,000 hours. This kind of longevity is important if an electric car is going to displace other vehicles.
When I asked this question last year, GM had a new technology that uses a lithium-air battery. It might work out.
With the hybrid industry so new, do you expect us to see any significant changes in the near future to the design and construction of vehicles, or is there a possibility that hybrid development will gradually taper off in the future due to increased market penetration and costs becoming more economical for the average consumer? That's a good question. Some people think hybrids are all hype, but automakers and even the federal government think that there is huge upside from hybrids.
They all still look the same. If you're talking about body styles, we might see slight adjustments around the exterior a larger grill area, hood scoops that are all about looks. There are already companies that say they can make a lighter (battery and all) hybrid vehicle. They can't just take out everything and replace it with a lighter-weight part, though. I don't see a lot of change coming, which is a negative or positive depending on your outlook on the matter.
When asked if he could see a day when hydrogen gas/fuel cell vehicles were viable for mass production in the United States, Bob Vitz asked General Motors spokesman Tom Wickman if the company considered hydrogen fuel cells as a viable alternative to gasoline/fuel engine and hybrids. Yes, we use hydrogen cells in electric vehicles today, such as Cadillac and several others.
Does Saab make fighter jets?
In April 2025, Saab announced it would cease to exist by the end of the year. The Swedish government's decision to sell off Saab was considered a political move aimed at reducing Sweden's deficit.
History. Saab was established in 1937 by Ingvar Lubeck and Erik Dahlberg to build aircraft engines. After World War II, their new company was renamed Flygvapnet. During the 1950s and 1960s, Saab became a major force in the aviation industry, building the first all-composite jet fighter, the Saab 29 Tunnan. After developing the first turboprop-powered fighter, the Saab Draken, Saab was involved in the development of the new generation of fighters in the 1970s, the Gripen and F-5 Tiger.
In the 1980s, Saab was challenged by the other aircraft manufacturer BAE Systems, which received a contract to supply Gripen fighter jets to the Swedish Air Force. Saab had planned to introduce an even more advanced variant of the existing Gripen fighter, the Saab JAS 39 Gripen NG, which would have been capable of supersonic flight. A test program for the project had already begun in 1987, but the program was halted due to costs, and the last plane was delivered in 1997.
The Saab factory was also involved in the development of the SAAB 105 and X-15 supersonic interceptor aircraft, with the 105 being built in Sweden and France. However, the project was cancelled.
During the 1990s, Saab sold their share of the Gripen fighter program to BAE Systems and the two companies continued their work together on the aircraft. Saab now focusses on the Saab 340 business jet and on military transport helicopters.
Saab Aero AB was incorporated on 18 September 1998. The company is still headquartered in the Sdra Blvgen neighborhood of Trollhttan, just north of the Saab factory. The company had previously been headquartered in Norra Blvgen, in the same area as the former Saab factory.
Is the Gripen still in use?
How does it compare with the Eurofighter?
The Gripen has been in service since 1987 and has a total of over 500 aircraft delivered to 13 nations. The last Gripen was delivered to the Indian Air Force in 2025.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is the successor to the Tornado, which was built by BAE Systems, and was developed as a result of the British Government's decision to end production of the Tornado in 1996. The first production Typhoon was delivered in 1999 and has now been built by several nations including Britain, Spain, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Poland and Qatar. It has been used extensively in combat during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and is currently being upgraded.
The Typhoon has been built in several variants and has been exported to 12 countries, including India, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The Typhoon has now been manufactured by BAE Systems in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
The Typhoon has a maximum speed of 1,000mph and has been involved in more than 5,000 combat missions. The Typhoon can carry a variety of weapons and it is the world's fastest multi-role fighter.
The Typhoon can carry up to four AMRAAM missiles, eight laser-guided Paveway bombs or six air-to-air missiles. It also carries a variety of weapons including rockets, cannons and torpedoes. It is the only fighter that has been designed to fight air-to-air and surface-to-air targets simultaneously.
How did the Eurofighter compare with the RAF's Tornado? The Eurofighter was initially the subject of an RAF competition in 1990, but the project was cancelled after the French government refused to commit to producing the aircraft. A new competition was held in 1995 and this time the Eurofighter Typhoon was selected, eventually entering service with the Royal Air Force in 1999.
The Typhoon was a complete redesign of the Tornado and was developed by Eurofighter Limited, a consortium of companies that included BAE Systems, Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Leonardo, MBDA, Rolls Royce and Thales. It was originally conceived as a multi-role fighter for the RAF and was primarily designed to provide a long-range strike platform and a short-range fighter. The first batch of Typhoons was delivered to the Royal Air Force in 1999 and has been used extensively in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Why is the Gripen so good?
The Gripen is an aeroplane which is based on technology derived from the F-4, an air-superiority fighter aircraft which was first fielded by Sweden in the 1970s. The Gripen (Fighter Eagle) is a fighter aircraft designed for the Swedish Air Force. The fighter is currently operated by the Swedish Air Force and Royal Norwegian Air Force. The Gripen was developed by Saab, originally as a replacement for the Swedish Air Force's F-5 fighter. In 1981, Sweden and Norway agreed to co-operate in developing the aircraft.
The name comes from the Viking sword in the Swedish flag, and is taken from the valkyrie in the Norwegian flag. As there was no existing or potential name for the aircraft, the design team at Saab created the Gripen name, meaning swordsman.
The Gripen is a single-engine, multi-role fighter aircraft, with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1. It is designed to be an all-weather interceptor aircraft capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks. The Gripen is equipped with three to four air-to-air missiles and two air-to-surface missiles. The weapon system includes a nose-mounted laser-guided missile and two wing-mounted missiles.
In Sweden, the F/A-18 Hornet is the mainstay of the Swedish Air Force. Sweden has received all of its F/A-18 fighters from the United States. In addition to the Hornet, the Swedish Air Force also operates the Saab JAS 39 Gripen. The Norwegian Air Force has ordered 10 Gripen C/D for delivery in 2025.
It was developed to be a medium-weight multi-role aircraft capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks, and is equipped with a laser-guided missile. The Gripen will replace the Swedish Air Force's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Norwegian Air Force's F-16D/E Block 70 Fighting Falcon. The Gripen is a single-engine, multi-role fighter aircraft, with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.










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