As countries evolve their aerial warfare doctrines in the new hybrid warfare environment of beyond-visual-range engagements and contested airspace, two single-engine fighters have attracted global attention: the Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen E and the Indian HAL Tejas Mk2. Although looking alike on paper — both being lightweight, multi-role, cost-efficient fighters powered by the GE F414 engine — their philosophies of development, operational use, and evolution stand poles apart.
The Gripen E is a classic manifestation of decades of Swedish aerospace engineering. Based on a tried-and-tested platform that has been iteratively improved for NATO interoperability and expeditionary needs. The Tejas Mk2, on the other hand, is India’s high-flying intent into the advanced fighter design space. A bold effort to break dependence on imports and build sovereign aerial combat capability.
In this in-depth study, we examine these fighters on all counts: design, performance, avionics, weapons, operational philosophy, and strategic considerations. This is not merely comparing the specifications — this is the story of two routes to airpower.
1. Design and Dimensions: Sculpted for Supremacy
Both fighters embrace the popular canard-delta configuration. This is considered an aerodynamically excellent combination of manoeuvrability and lift with STOL (short take-off and landing) capability. But the airframes, reflecting priorities, show different levels of maturity.
Gripen E: Swedish Precision
The Gripen E development refines the earlier C/D version, stretching 15.2 meters and 8.6 meters in wingspan, and 4.5 meters in height. At nearly 8 tons empty weight and a maximum takeoff weight of 16.5 tons, it stands at a balanced profile-a compact yet potent one. With sleek lines and well-blended surfaces to keep the RCS down, the aircraft will stand a chance of survival in a contested airspace. Composite materials and modular layouts keep it light but at the same time properly stiff. The true Gripen value, however, lies in the dispersed basing concept: it can be operated from roads and rural strips, with the ground crew refueling and rearming in under 10 minutes. Now, this is more than just engineering; this is strategic foresight.
Also Read, In Depth Analysis: Tejas MK2 or MWF
Tejas Mk2: Indigenous Ambition
At 14.6 meters in length and with a wingspan of 8.7 meters and a height of 4.6, the Tejas Mk2 is slightly smaller than the Gripen E, but it packs the greater tonnage. An empty weight of 7.5 tons against a greater MTOW of 17.5 tons speaks volumes about HAL’s confidence in payload carriage and endurance. The Mk2’s design has integrated lessons from the Tejas Mk1 program. Use of carbon composites in abundance, especially over wing and fuselage sections, adds to structural efficiency and RCS reduction. The new air intakes, increased wing area, and canards provide improved lift-to-drag ratios and greater control authority throughout the entire speed range.
Verdict: Gripen E presents maturity and modularity; Tejas Mk2 presents growth potential and indigenous innovation. One is combat-ready; the other is evolution in progress.
2. Propulsion and Performance: One Engine, Two Outcomes
Both jets run on the same heart: a GE F414-GE-INS6 afterburning turbofan, pushing a 98-kN thrust. That tells one story; but what each nation designs around the engine tells another.
Gripen E: Agile and Enduring
Given that the Gripen E can cruise at a sustained supersonic speed without afterburner-a capability termed supercruise- it can do Mach 2.0 with a combat radius of 1,800 km, which extends beyond 4,000 km with drop tanks and air-to-air refuelling.
Gripen E truly has globe-trotting theater-wide reach: from dispersed friendly bases to intercept intruders at supersonic speed speeds so fast that it gets back before the intruders know they had been hit. Fighter-level ceilings of 52,000 feet combined with huge instantaneous turn rates are the ideal setups for dogfighting; yet, low wing loading allows superb high-alpha handling.
Tejas Mk2: Chasing Elevation
The Tejas Mk2, under development, targets an approximate top speed of Mach 1.8, with a combat range of around 1,500 km and ferry of close to 3,000 km. While supercruise is within anticipated parameters, HAL has yet to demonstrate consistent performance in the regime – though from the platform’s lighter weight and profile-wise efficient aerodynamic layout, prospects look good.
Tejas Mk2 intends to make up the operational lack by offering higher internal fuel capacity, enabling CFTs (conformal fuel tanks) integration and offering various mission-specific loadouts to optimize drag and endurance.
Verdict: Gripen E stands operationally superior for pure performance and range, while Tejas Mk2 could slowly bridge that gap with time and iterative improvements.
3. Avionics and Situational Awareness: The Digital Battlespace
Although the modern fighter is judged by the intelligence it can provide in the cockpit, both the jets do push the limits in this regard.
Gripen E: Eyes Everywhere
The avionics suite of Saab is arguably one of the most integrated in the world. Raven ES-05 AESA radar features a swashplate-mounted antenna allowing wide-angle scanning-a very important feature in dynamic engagements. The Skyward-G IRST tracks hostile aircraft passively using heat signatures- a vital capability in stealth or EMCON (emissions control) scenarios.
Inside the cockpit is the Wide Area Display that dominates the arrangement presenting a single view of all mission-critical data. Complementing this are advanced Helmet-Mounted Displays (HMDs) and large HUDs for smooth interoperability in air-to-air, air-to-ground, and EW modes. The sensor fusion and EW suite (radar warning receivers, jammers, decoys) transforms the fighter into an aggressive digital predator.
Tejas Mk2: Indigenous, Integrated, and In Progress
Tejas Mk2 will be associated with the Indian indigenous Uttam AESA radar developed by DRDO- meant to compete with the best Western and Israeli systems. It will use gallium nitride (GaN) technology in its later versions, with the goal of providing multi-target tracking, SAR mapping, and resistance to anti-jamming. The cockpit layout is Western in origin: Large touchscreen MFDs, a WAD, HMD, and advanced FBW controls. The Mk2 also integrates IRST and indigenous EW systems, making it a stealth-aware and self-reliant fighter. Data fusion and secure datalinks will allow for net-centric operations, enabling real-time coordination with AWACS, UCAVs, and ground stations.
Verdict: Gripen E leads with field-proven, Western-grade avionics. Tejas Mk2 is playing catch-up but is building a fully indigenous digital ecosystem, and that’s a strategic game-changer for India.
4. Armament and Payload: Teeth That Bite
Weapons enhance the role of a combat unit, and each of these jets represents the best of it’s category.
Gripen E: European Arsenal
Considering that the Gripen E has ten hard points and a 6-ton payload capacity, the weapons suite is quite complete:
- The Meteor BVR missile: unparalleled range (~150–200 km) with an extremely large no-escape zone.
- AIM-120 AMRAAM: proven, networked BVR solution.
- The IRIS-T or AIM-9X missiles: WVR missiles with off-boresight targeting.
- Smart bombs: Laser-guided (GBU series), GPS-guided (JDAM), and stand-off weapons.
- Naval and anti-ship missiles, such as the RBS-15, constitute its multi-domain capability.
Mid-course updates using the data links and EW of the Gripen ensure real-time target sharing — a big advantage in any modern combat.
Tejas Mk2: Born to Carry More
With 13 hardpoints and a higher MTOW, the Mk2 aspires to carry 6.5 tons of weapons and fuel. Some of the weapons it carries:
- Astra Mk1/2 BVR missiles: India’s big-boy answer to AMRAAM and Meteor.
- Derby ER: An Israeli-proven solution offering networking capabilities.
- Python-5, ASRAAM: advanced WVR missiles.
- BrahMos-NG: A supersonic cruise missile — unmatched in its class — integrated for stand-off air-to-surface or anti-ship strikes.
- SAAW, LGBs, and DRDO glide bombs for precision ground attack.
Insofar as future Indian doctrine considers indigenization, the Mk2 weapons suite is a testament to that strategic commitment.
Verdict: Gripen E maintains a polished NATO-integrated arsenal. The Tejas Mk2 is fast becoming a ground strike platform with unmatched indigenous options such as BrahMos-NG.
5. Operational Philosophy and Cost-Efficiency
Gripen E: Tactical Flexibility
A mark of the Gripen is its stunning operational flexibility. It can launch from highways, re-arm within 10 minutes, and integrate with NATO command infrastructures. The Gripen E was designed for high sortie rates, low maintenance hours, and scant logistics. It also happens to be one of the least expensive fighters in terms of lifecycle costs. Definitely a high point for air forces that want to be cost-efficient while retaining the combat capability.
Tejas Mk2: Sovereign Strategy
The Mk2 is the Indian answer to decades of import dependency. With 70-75% indigenous content, HAL and DRDO are aiming toward self-reliance in every subsystem-radar, EW, flight computers and eventually engines. This gives them a strategic hedge against geopolitical supply shocks. Maintenance is also expected to be cheaper than imported platforms, particularly once domestic MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) ecosystems mature.
Verdict: Today, Gripen E wins for immediate readiness, while Tejas Mk2 is a sovereign investment in the future.
6. Strategic Implications: Beyond the Dogfight
The real test for any fighter lies not just in its performance and agility but in the ecosystem it forms.
Gripen E is the ultimate choice for any country seeking plug-and-play Western fighter offering true multirole capabilities and proven support infrastructure. It is expeditionary, interoperable, exportable — a fighter that can integrate into any coalition operation without getting out of place.
The Tejas Mk2 is the effort toward harbouring an indigenous capability tailored to the needs of the Indian subcontinent. While China and Pakistan are fielding 4.5-gen and 5th-gen platforms like J-10C and J-20, India needs a platform it can own, alter, and mass-produce without having to seek permission from any foreign country.
Final Verdict: One Sky, Two Winners
With the Gripen E, the mature aerospace engineering has produced the great masterstroke — lean, lethal, and tried and tested. In the Tejas Mk2, here is a rising aerospace power staking its claim by creating not just a fighter, but a legacy.
To put it bluntly, if immediacy in battlefield performance, proven track record, and coalition compatibility are the name of the game, the Gripen E does not fail to deliver.
If, however, sovereign control, indigenous innovation, and long-term strategic autonomy mean anything to you, the Tejas Mk2 is more than just a fighter; it is a flag-bearer.
At a future date by the end of the decade, when India puts the Tejas Mk2 into service, a mixed fleet of both Gripens and Tejas would, instead of redundancy, offer something much more interesting — the marriage of Nordic finesse with South Asian grit.
Both aircraft will fly in the skies of tomorrow, not just as machines but as statements.
