Unique takeoff from the highway of JAS-39 fighter

Taking off on a highway is one of the most important skills in a conflict situation when an airport is under attack. However, not all fighter jets are designed to do it. In addition, the pilot must have excellent skills, without any mistakes.

The Saab JAS-39 "Gripen" is a light fighter aircraft developed by the Swedish company Saab in cooperation with Ericsson and Volvo. It has served with the Swedish Air Force, the Czech Air Force and the Hungarian Air Force, and has been ordered by the South African Air Force and the Thai Air Force. It is one of the few fighters designed to be capable of taking off from short, unprepared runways.

The ability to take off on the highway is a remarkable feature of the JAS-39. It only needs a 9x800 runway to operate. Once on the ground, it can be refueled and re-armed in 10 minutes by 5 mobile technicians on a truck, then take off again to continue the mission.

The JAS-39 has two seats, but the control system is designed to be able to fight with only one pilot. In conflicts, the enemy will often prioritize attacking military airports to limit fighter take-offs, so to conduct airstrikes, fighters will often be deployed right on the highway.

Practicing take-off and landing on the highway is one of the important exercises. Light fighter jets such as JAS-39, F-16... can often quickly take advantage of their compact size to do this.

In conflicts, the enemy will often prioritize attacking military airports to limit the take-off of fighter jets, so to conduct airstrikes, fighter jets will often be deployed right on the highway. On the other hand, highways are distributed everywhere, making it difficult for the enemy to monitor and destroy the places where fighter jets are deployed.

Good combat performance, cheap operation and easy maintenance, the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen fighter is considered one of the best light fighters in the world . Saab developed the JAS 39 Gripen fighter so that they can take on the missions of fighter and reconnaissance aircraft.

The special design allows the Saab JAS-39 Gripen to fly almost vertically (at an angle of 70-80 degrees) while attacking enemy targets. In addition, the famous Ericsson radar system helps the Saab JAS 39 Gripen easily detect and track multiple targets at the same time.

The JAS-39 is 14.1 m long, has a wingspan of 8.4 m, and a height of 4.5 m. The empty takeoff weight is 6.6 tons, and the maximum takeoff weight is 14 tons. The powerful Volvo Flygmotor RM12 jet engine helps the Saab JAS 39 Gripen reach a maximum speed of 2,450 km/h, a range of 3,250 km, and a ceiling of 16 km.

The strength of the JAS-39 is that it is the most durable fighter at the present time with a flight time reserve of up to 10,000 hours, 5 times that of the Su-27SK (2,000 flight hours), more than 3 times that of the Su-30MK2 (3,000 flight hours) and significantly superior to the first generation F-16 (6,000 flight hours).

In addition, the operating cost of the JAS 39 is only 4,700 USD/flight hour, among the lowest in the world. These are the reasons why the JAS-39 is always rated higher when compared to its competitors in the world.