"Gripens are a way better fit for Ukraine than F-16s," said Michael Bohnert, an air warfare expert at the RAND Corporation. "The Gripen is a little more purpose-built for Ukraine's needs."
The JAS 39 Gripen, made by Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB, was designed to operate from civilian roads in the event that runways and airbases are destroyed. This is something the F-16 can do, too, but the Gripen is a more rugged aircraft better suited for that.
"If you're right under somebody's shadow, you need to be able to operate from roads," Bohnert said, highlighting the importance of flexibility in air operations amid the threat from Russia.
The Gripen, designed at the end of the Cold War, is considered among the better fourth-generation fighters and was built to defeat Russia's highly maneuverable Sukhoi fighter aircraft.
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