Billion-Dollar Beasts: Exploring the Most Expensive Military Vehicles to Ever Hit the Battlefield

15. Gripen, Saab JAS 39

Joined the Service in 1988 Producer: Saab Price: *$45-25 million The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a lightweight, multi-role fighter aircraft with a single engine that is manufactured by the Swedish company Saab. Gripen, often known as Griffin in English, is a delta wing aircraft with relaxed stability and a canard arrangement. Every flying control is fly-by-wire. The Gripen is powered by a Volvo RM12 engine.

Advertisement

Twitter.com / Royal Air Force / Saab JAS 39 Gripen These SAABF aircraft would later undergo modifications to comply with NATO interoperability standards. The Swedish government originally intended to develop an aircraft that could battle, attack, and conduct surveillance missions, which led to the creation of the Gripen in the late 1970s. The Gripen was initially flown in 1988, and in 1996 it was accepted into the SAF.