When the Indian Air Force (IAF) launched the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) competition, the goal was to acquire 126 fighter jets to fill operational gaps and move beyond the Mirage 2000 fleet already in service (missed bus on assembly line). The competition stretched over a decade, ultimately leading to the acquisition of 36 Rafale jets through a government-to-government deal. A follow-on tender for 114 aircraft was later initiated. Among the contenders in the original competition was the Saab Gripen. At the time, Saab offered the Gripen NG now known as the Gripen E. While it may not have won the deal, what’s remarkable is how the Gripen platform has evolved over the years, steadily growing in capability and sophistication. Unlike Rafale, it didn’t remain frozen in time.
Radar & Next Generation Capabilities
When the MRFA (Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft) tender was initiated, the Rafale already featured a working AESA radar, the Thales RBE2-AA. This radar, with over 1,000 Transmit/Receive Modules (TRMs), was considered cutting-edge at the time. In contrast, the Gripen being offered then came with the Leonardo PS-05/A, a mechanically scanned pulse-Doppler radar. However, Saab didn’t stop there. The Gripen platform later integrated the Leonardo Raven ES-05 AESA, and went a step further by incorporating Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based TRMs significantly improving power efficiency and detection range.
More impressively, the latest Gripen variants have mounted their AESA radar on a swashplate mechanism. This allows the radar to mechanically steer, expanding its search volume to a 140-degree field within a 200-degree look-angle around the nose — giving it unmatched situational awareness in its class. Meanwhile, Rafale’s radar technology has seen minimal advancement since its debut over a decade and a half ago, with the RBE2-AA still largely unchanged in terms of architecture and features.
Weapon Systems – Missiles & Bombs
The Rafale undeniably boasts an impressive weapons package. It comes equipped with some of the most advanced munitions available today including the Meteor, one of the world’s top Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missiles, the SCALP stealth cruise missile for deep strike missions, and the HAMMER precision-guided bombs. However, India’s specific request to integrate the Spice 2000 munition with Rafale remains a work in progress, even years after induction.
Interestingly, the Gripen E carries many of the same advanced weapons including the Meteor, with full support for its two-way data link, and can carry up to four Meteors at once. But the real punch in Gripen’s arsenal comes from the Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile. Considered a generation ahead of SCALP, the Taurus not only offers superior range (over 500 km, with an extended-range variant in development) but also features more advanced technology. It carries a dual-stage 480 kg warhead called MEPHISTO (Multi-Effect Penetrator Highly Sophisticated and Target Optimised), which uses a precharge and a penetrating charge to breach soil or hardened bunkers, followed by a delayed main warhead detonation making it ideal for Hardened and Deeply Buried Targets (HDBTs). In October 2024 the Taurus Neo program was initated aiming at modernizing the KEPD-350, with explicit goals of longer reach, enhanced guidance, and a more powerful warhead. In comparison, Rafale’s strike punch though capable appears to have plateaued.
Electronic Warfare : Improvement Continued
Rafale features a towed radar decoy system, designed to enhance survivability against radar-guided threats by trailing a decoy behind the aircraft. While effective, this system offers passive protection and hasn’t seen significant evolution. In contrast, Saab has actively pushed the boundaries of electronic warfare with the Gripen E/F. In 2020, Saab unveiled the Lightweight Air-Launched Decoy Missile (LADM) as part of its bid for Finland’s HX fighter program. This decoy doesn’t just distract, it acts as a stand-in jammer, creating false radar targets and saturating enemy air defenses with misleading signals. Saab also began flight-testing a new Electronic Attack Jammer Pod in 2019, further enhancing the Gripen’s defensive and offensive EW capabilities. On top of that, Saab integrated BriteCloud, an expendable active RF decoy developed by Leonardo, which has already been tested and deployed from the Gripen platform. Together, these upgrades have turned the Gripen into a highly networked and actively protected platform, one that clearly surpasses Rafale’s more static and dated self-protection systems.
Looking towards future
Rafale is expected to receive a major upgrade in the form of the Rafale F5 standard, planned for post-2030. This upgrade is projected to be so extensive that it may even include a new engine, essentially serving as a comprehensive mid-life refit. However, the Gripen program follows a very different philosophy, one of continuous improvement with minimal delays between upgrades.
A recent example of this came in this year, when Saab, in collaboration with Helsing, successfully integrated Helsing’s AI agent ‘Centaur’ into a Gripen E fighter as part of Project Beyond. The first flight took place on May 28 and marked a major milestone in bringing artificial intelligence into real-world combat aviation. During the test, Gripen E handed over partial control to Centaur, which autonomously executed complex maneuvers in a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) combat scenario and cued the pilot for weapon release all while maintaining the aircraft’s stringent safety requirements.
“This is an important achievement for Saab, demonstrating qualitative edge in sophisticated technologies by making AI deliver in the air,” said Saab during the announcement. The rapid integration and successful flight testing not only showcase Gripen’s adaptability, but also reaffirm the aircraft’s modular design and software-driven approach, allowing it to evolve much faster than traditional fighter programs like Rafale.
Sukhoi 30 of India and quest for “Super Sukhoi”
When India acquired the Su-30MKI, it was the most advanced variant of the Su-30 available. A truly cutting-edge platform for its time. Thanks to a mix of Israeli, French, South African, and Indian subsystems, the Su-30MKI stood out as a contemporary multirole heavyweight fighter. However, instead of following a continuous upgrade path, India resorted to occasional, piecemeal improvements resulting in the Su-30 slowly losing its edge over time. One major exception was the integration of the BrahMos-A supersonic cruise missile, which suddenly transformed the Su-30 into a formidable standoff strike platform. This shift highlights just how vital continuous upgrades are in maintaining combat relevance. Unfortunately, with the Rafale, India risks falling into the same loop a capable jet stuck in a holding pattern, while competitors like Gripen continue to evolve with agility and purpose.