By Admin 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Sweden on Sunday (17 May). During this, the PM’s plane was escorted by Swedish fighter jets Gripen. As soon as his plane reached the border of Sweden, Swedish Air Force fighter planes gave him special protection. Earlier, a similar scene was seen upon reaching UAE, where F16 jet aircraft escorted PM Modi’s plane. Let us know how the Gripen fighter jets of Sweden that escorted PM Modi are cheaper than Rafale and what is their specialty.
Gripen cheaper than Rafale
Sweden’s Gripen is cheaper than France’s Rafale. Rafale is a heavy twin engine aircraft. At the same time, Gripen is a single engine lightweight aircraft. The most special thing about Gripen is that it does not require a military airbase for take off like Rafale, it is adept in taking off and landing from highways to roads.
According to the report of CNN-News 18, the cost of flying Rafale for one hour is at least more than $ 14,000 (about Rs 11.6 lakh). In comparison, the cost of one hour flight of Gripen is only between $4,000 to $10,000 (approximately Rs 3.3 to 8.3 lakh). This means that Gripen is very easy to maintain.
Rafale: Important questions related to fighter aircraft Rafale, the answers to which are presented for you.
The estimated base price per aircraft of the Saab Gripen is $85 million to $100 million, while that of the Rafale is between $115 million to $130 million. Apart from this, Gripen is also cheaper in terms of full package deal price per aircraft. Its price is between $140 million to $220 million. At the same time, it sits between $200 million to $245 million.
What is special about Gripen?
Rafale runs on two engines, which means that even if one engine gets damaged during a war, the other engine can save the aircraft. It can lift 9.5 tons of weapons. On the other hand, Gripen is smaller in size, but its speed is faster than Rafale. Sweden claims that any indigenous weapon or software can be added to it without any restriction. It does not need any big airbase; During wartime, by landing it on any common highway, the team can load it with fuel and weapons and fly it again in just 10 minutes.
IN DETAIL: What is the Rafale deal and what are the features of this fighter plane?