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Verujem da jednocifren broj članova MCM foruma razume portugalski, stoga evo prevoda prethodnog članka
(https://www.aereo.jor.br/2024/11/07/a-vitoria-dos-f-39e-gripen-sobre-os-f-15c-eagle-no-exercicio-cruzex-consideracoes-sobre-a-tecnologia-embarcada/) na engleski:
The victory of the F-39E Gripen over the F-15C Eagle in Exercise CRUZEX – considerations on onboard technology
Recently, at the beginning of Exercise CRUZEX 2024, held in Natal-RN, news came to light of the victory of the F-39E Gripen fighters over the iconic F-15C during the training.
CRUZEX is an international exercise that brings together air forces from several nations to train joint operations and improve interoperability between participants.
The Gripen's performance not only highlights the advanced capabilities of the new generation of fighters, but also signals a significant change in the dynamics of air power in the contemporary military context.
It is important to remember that, while the Gripen E represents a new generation combat platform, with advanced technologies and contemporary design, the F-15C, although modernized, carries the limitations of a 1970s air combat concept, where the platform's power and the number of missiles carried were the main factors.
Modern air combat is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by technological evolution and new operational tactics that redefine the essential characteristics of a combat aircraft. If in the past speed, maneuverability and firepower were the main attributes of a fighter, today the paradigms have changed. Situational awareness and stealth are the new pillars of aerial combat, redefining the way aircraft operate, interact and face threats.
The superior situational awareness provided to pilots of modern fighters such as the Gripen gives them an immense advantage in combat scenarios beyond visual range.
While a pilot of an older fighter like the F-15C has to perform mental operations to have an overview of what is happening around him, in the F-39E Gripen the pilot has increased situational awareness thanks to the wide-area display (WAD) that accelerates the OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) cycle. The WAD presents the tactical picture and helps the pilot decide what action to take in the shortest possible time.
Another difference is the Gripen's data fusion system, where targets are tracked based on information received from various sensors on the aircraft itself (Radar, IRST, IFF, EW) and from other platforms via data link. The quality of the tracking (track quality) is shown on the display, helping the pilot in decision-making.
The F-39E Gripen's ES 05 Raven AESA radar has a large capacity and features active and passive modes, with a rotating base (swashplate) with approximately 100 degrees of coverage. It has simultaneous air-to-air and air-to-surface capabilities and SAR imaging.
The Skyward-G IRST, manufactured by the Italian company Leonardo, operates in the medium and long-wave bands of the infrared spectrum, with a scanning angle of +/-85º in azimuth and +/-60º in elevation, and has search and track modes against air targets with functions that include passive distance measurement and optional data recording capability. Although its ranges have not been disclosed, officially published data states that the Skyward-G is capable of simultaneously detecting up to 200 targets.
For Networked Warfare, the F-39E Gripen is interoperable with NATO's Link 16 while also employing the Swedish TDL digital link, in addition to secure and satellite communications systems.
The F-39E Gripen also features the “Multi-Function System-Electronic Warfare” or MFS-EW, developed to prepare the Gripen to face the most powerful threats today and also those that may emerge in the coming decades.
The MFS-EW is designed with an AESA architecture, which means it can face multiple threats at the same time, such as ground surveillance or fire control radars, with an unprecedented level of geolocation accuracy, which can be as low as 0.1º in a 360º radius. The Gripen’s electronic warfare suite covers a waveband between 0.5 GHz and 40 GHz, which makes it capable of detecting the guidance of enemy weapons and radars.
The Gripen’s performance at CRUZEX 2024 has important implications for military aviation in Latin America and globally. First, it demonstrates the growing capacity of Brazil, which operates the Gripen, to project air power and contribute to regional security. The outcome may also prompt other countries in the region to reconsider their aircraft choices, assessing the advantages that new-generation fighters can offer compared to older platforms.
In addition, the outcome of the exercise may influence future aircraft acquisitions by air forces around the world. The Gripen’s competitiveness in a combat scenario with a proven fighter such as the F-15C reinforces the perception that technology and innovation are determining factors in military effectiveness, regardless of the heritage and prestige of older models.
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