Saab's New Gripen-E Fighter Successfully Fires Meteor Missiles - International Military

Saab's New Gripen-E Fighter Successfully Fires Meteor Missiles

International Military - The latest Gripen E fighter jet made by Saab, Sweden successfully fired using Meteor BVRAAM (Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile) missiles. The missile successfully hit the target, Saab said.

It said the Meteor missile was launched from Gripen E at an altitude of about 16,500 feet above the Vidsel training area, northern Sweden. Head of Flight Test & Verification, Saab Mikael Olsson said, "This is a very important milestone for the Gripen E and Saab programme.

MBDA's Meteor missile, said Saab, is an unrivaled BVRAAM missile that can operate in the most contested environments. The missile can strike a variety of targets, from fighter aircraft, UAVs, to cruise missiles at an unmatched range.

The Meteor missile is the next generation of the Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) system.

“This success is a great demonstration of the close partnership between MBDA and Saab, which after years of active cooperation has continued to evolve from strength to strength. This trial also demonstrates our joint ability to rapidly integrate weapons capabilities into the all new Gripen E,” said Jim Price, Vice President of MBDA Europe.

The focus of the flight test program for the Gripen E is on further development and testing, particularly of tactical systems and the integration of various weapons, such as the Meteor. The Meteor program is one of the most successful defense collaborations in Europe.

Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden joined forces to create this game-changing missile for aerial combat, Saab wrote in a press release dated August 30, 2022.