Saab Gripen Versions and MS Standards
What the Gripen's A/B, C/D and E/F letters, Swedish production batches and MS software editions mean, why the Gripen E is a new airframe rather than an upgraded C, and which countries fly which.
Every Saab JAS 39 Gripen carries a version letter that says what the airframe is (A/B, C/D or E/F), a batch number that records which Swedish production contract built it, and an MS edition (Materielsystem 39) that says which qualified hardware and software standard it currently runs. Only the third label changes during an aircraft's life.
As of October 2026 the family is in transition: the Swedish Air Force accepted its first Gripen E into service on 20 October 2025, the two-seat Gripen F made its first flight on 28 August 2026, the Swedish C/D fleet enters its MS20 Block 3 refresh from 2026, and Thailand, Colombia and Ukraine have all signed for the E since August 2025. The most common error in coverage is to treat the E as an upgraded C; it is a new airframe, and the contract wording that once suggested otherwise is explained below.
- Version letters name the airframe: A/B (first generation, Sweden only), C/D (NATO-compatible and air-refuelable, the standard every export customer bought until the E) and E/F (a larger, new airframe). The first letter of each pair is the single-seater, the second the two-seater. They are fixed at the factory, with one exception: Sweden rebuilt part of its A/B fleet to C/D standard.
- Batches (Swedish delserie) are Sweden's three production contracts: Batch 1 (30 aircraft), Batch 2 (110) and Batch 3 (64), 204 aircraft in all, 28 of them two-seaters. A historical label, not a capability one.
- MS editions are the standards qualified for the Swedish fleet and retrofitted across a version. MS20, operational in 2016, is the last C/D edition and is subdivided into Blocks; MS21, MS22 and MS23 are the E/F path.
- "Block" in Gripen usage is a sub-step inside an MS edition, not a production lot as on the F-16. Hungary's MS20 Block 2 and Sweden's MS20 Block 3 and Block 4 are different packages that share one MS number.
- National labels are added by some customers: Brazil designates its aircraft F-39E and F-39F. The F is the two-seat version of the E.
The three airframe generations
JAS 39A and 39B. The A is the original single-seat standard, built for Sweden alone around the RM12 engine and the PS-05/A radar. The prototype made its first flight on 9 December 1988, and Batch 1 delivered 30 aircraft to Sweden between 1993 and 1996. Batch 2 added 110 more, 96 single-seat A and 14 two-seat B; the B made its first flight on 29 April 1996.
JAS 39C and 39D. Batch 3, 50 C and 14 D, introduced the standard every export customer then bought: NATO-compatible systems, a retractable in-flight refueling probe and upgraded avionics. The C made its first flight on 14 August 2002 and the first example was delivered to FMV, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, on 9 September 2002; the two-seat D first flew on 2 June 2004. Sweden also rebuilt part of its A/B fleet to C/D standard, a proposal that GlobalSecurity records as covering 31 airframes. In October 2025 the Swedish Air Force still operated 71 C and 23 D, according to European Security & Defence.
JAS 39E and 39F. Developed under the names Gripen NG and Super JAS, and preceded by the two-seat Gripen Demo testbed with an F414G engine that Saab announced at the Paris Air Show in June 2007, the E is a larger airframe, not a new standard of the C (next section). Prototype 39-8 made its first flight on 15 June 2017; Saab announced the first flight of a production-standard aircraft on 3 December 2019; the first series E was handed to FMV on 6 October 2023, a handover to the procurement agency rather than a service entry; and the Swedish Air Force accepted its first E, serial 609, at F7 Såtenäs on 20 October 2025. The F is the two-seat E with what Saab calls a "fully independent second cockpit", 15.9 m long against 15.2 m for the E, and without the gun, which Saab lists for the E only. It was rolled out at Linköping on 2 June 2026 and flew for the first time on 28 August 2026, a 40-minute sortie. Brazil has ordered eight F, Colombia two and Thailand one.
| JAS 39A/B | JAS 39C/D | JAS 39E/F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place in the family | Original standard, Sweden only | NATO-compatible, air-refuelable export standard | New, larger airframe |
| First flight, single-seat | 9 Dec 1988 prototype | 14 Aug 2002 | 15 Jun 2017 prototype 39-8 |
| First flight, two-seat | 29 Apr 1996 (B) | 2 Jun 2004 (D) | 28 Aug 2026 (F) |
| Engine | RM12 | RM12 RM12EP upgrade from 2026 in Sweden | GE F414-GE-39E, 98 kN |
| Radar and sensors | PS-05/A | PS-05/A Mk 4 in Hungary's Block 2 | ES-05 Raven AESA, Skyward-G IRST, MFS-EW |
| Swedish production | Batch 1 (30), Batch 2 (96 A + 14 B) | Batch 3 (50 C + 14 D), plus A/B rebuilds | 60 E ordered Dec 2013 |
| Operators | Sweden | Sweden, Czechia, Hungary, South Africa, Thailand | Sweden, Brazil ordered by Colombia, Thailand, Ukraine |
| Software path | MS15 onward | Editions through MS20 and its Blocks | MS21, MS22, MS23 |
Why the Gripen E is a new aircraft, not an upgraded C
The confusion goes back to the 2013 contract. Saab's Swedish serial production order of 18 December 2013 (contract signature), worth SEK 16.4 billion, was worded as the "modification of 60 Gripen C to Gripen E". The plan behind that wording was to reuse equipment from the C/D fleet in new E airframes, not to rebuild C airframes. On 25 June 2025 FMV ordered additional new equipment for the E from Saab so that the whole C/D fleet could keep flying alongside the E, and the reuse plan fell away. At the October 2025 service entry the Swedish Armed Forces described the E as "not just an upgrade of previous versions but in many respects a completely new aircraft type", and Saab's product literature calls the E-series "a new fighter aircraft system".
The differences are in the hardware. The main landing gear moved from the fuselage into the wing roots, freeing internal fuel volume: about 40 percent more according to Airforce Technology, about 30 percent more according to The War Zone. The General Electric F414-GE-39E, rated at 98 kN, replaces the RM12. There are ten hardpoints instead of eight. The PS-05/A radar gives way to the ES-05 Raven AESA, paired with a Skyward-G infrared search-and-track sensor and an Arexis-based electronic-warfare suite that Saab calls MFS-EW. The cockpit is built around a single Wide Area Display, and the avionics architecture separates flight-critical software from mission software. Saab also states that the E carries up to seven Meteor missiles, a figure quoted in GMN's Meteor explainer.
No C or D becomes an E. The only version conversion in the Gripen's history runs from A/B to C/D, inside the Swedish fleet. A country that flies the C/D and buys the E, as Sweden does and Thailand will, operates two airframe families under one name.
The MS editions and their Blocks
Sweden's designation for the Gripen is Materielsystem 39, and each qualified standard is an edition of it: an FMV development order that Saab announced in January 2011 referred to "material system 39 (edition 19)", that is, MS19. MS15, introduced in 2002, was the first A/B edition under this naming, and MS16 was never fielded, remaining internal to Saab. Further C/D editions followed through the 2000s before MS20; this guide does not tabulate them for lack of a primary source. Ny Teknik reported in 2011 that an edition cost on average about SEK 2 billion and arrived roughly every three years. An edition is retrofitted across a fleet: the airframe keeps its version letter and the MS number moves.
MS20 was decided by the Swedish government in January 2010 and became operational in Sweden in 2016. Saab announced on 11 July 2016 that the edition had given the Swedish C/D fleet initial operational capability with the Meteor beyond-visual-range missile, which Saab described as making the Gripen the first and only fighter then operational with it. The edition also added the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (up to 16 per aircraft), an infrared reconnaissance pod with real-time imagery in the cockpit, improved Link 16, a ground collision avoidance system and CBRN protection. Export fleets received their own MS20 packages. Saab announced that the Czech Air Force completed its MS20 upgrade on 12 March 2018, adding unguided and laser-guided bombs, new radar modes, the Litening III targeting pod, Link 16 and cryptographic equipment; Aviation Week reported in December 2022 that Thailand had completed MS20 on all 11 of its C/D.
MS20 Block 2 is the export package Saab contracted for Hungary on 12 January 2022: the PS-05/A Mk 4 radar, a Link 16 upgrade, NATO secure voice, Mode 5 IFF, the IRIS-T short-range missile, the GBU-49 guided bomb and Meteor.
Block 3 and Block 4, the Swedish C/D refresh
On 16 December 2022 FMV ordered a C/D upgrade from Saab worth about SEK 3.5 billion for delivery in 2023–29: an engine upgrade, improved electronic warfare, a new radar with extended range, upgraded avionics for rapid software updates, new payloads and interoperability between the C/D and the E. A further SEK 579 million order in October 2023 keeps the C/D fleet flying "beyond 2030", Airforce Technology reported. The first upgraded RM12EP engine was delivered to the Swedish Air Force in March 2026, according to FlightGlobal. In the MS grammar this refresh is MS20 Block 3, with deliveries planned from 2026, and MS20 Block 4 in 2028, according to an FMV report cited by The Aviationist in February 2025; the same report puts the Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile operational on the C/D from 2028. The Aviationist reported the first live Taurus launch from a Gripen C on 21 August 2026 at Vidsel, and put the Swedish C/D fleet concerned at about 60 aircraft. The Czech fleet is to receive Block 4 under its lease extension to 2035; CZ Defence lists a new radar, improved avionics, the AIM-120C-8 and Taurus by 2028.
Detailed content lists for Block 3, Block 4, MS22 and MS23 circulate online without an official source; this guide gives only what FMV, Saab and the Czech reporting above have stated.
MS21 to MS23 on the E/F
MS numbering continues on the E/F and does not cross back to the C/D. MS21 is the initial E standard for Sweden and Brazil, and its electronic warfare is passive only, radar warning and electronic support measures, according to Saab's 2020 description of the MFS-EW system. The FMV report cited by The Aviationist said the Swedish Air Force would begin operating MS21 at Såtenäs "by late-2025, albeit to a limited extent". MS22 adds the full MFS-EW with AESA-based jamming, per the same Saab description; FMV said development continued, with no public date. MS23 is to bring Taurus to the Gripen E, later and also undated.
| Airframe | Date | What it adds | Fleets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS20 | C/D | Operational 2016 Sweden, IOC with Meteor | Meteor, GBU-39 SDB (up to 16), IR reconnaissance pod, improved Link 16, GCAS, CBRN protection | Sweden; Czechia (Mar 2018); Thailand (11 C/D, Dec 2022) |
| MS20 Block 2 | C/D | Ordered 12 Jan 2022 | PS-05/A Mk 4, Link 16 upgrade, NATO secure voice, Mode 5 IFF, IRIS-T, GBU-49, Meteor | Hungary |
| MS20 Block 3 | C/D | Deliveries from 2026 FMV report | Part of the 2022 C/D refresh; no itemized contents published | Sweden, about 60 C/D |
| MS20 Block 4 | C/D | 2028 FMV report | Taurus KEPD 350 operational Czech reporting adds new radar, avionics, AIM-120C-8 | Sweden; Czechia under lease to 2035 |
| MS21 | E/F | Limited Swedish use from late 2025 FMV report | Initial E standard; passive EW only | Sweden, Brazil |
| MS22 | E/F | In development, no public date | Full MFS-EW with AESA jamming | – |
| MS23 | E/F | Later, no public date | Taurus KEPD 350 on the E | – |
Who flies which version
Sweden flies both families: 71 C and 23 D as of October 2025, per European Security & Defence, and 60 E on order since the 2013 contract, of which the first two arrived at F7 Såtenäs in October 2025, FlightGlobal reported. How many Gripens Sweden will keep after 2030 is not settled: European Security & Defence reported a retention plan of 40 C/D plus 60 E, while The War Zone reported a target of 120 aircraft by 2030, half C/D and half E.
Brazil is the first export customer for the E/F. Its 2014 contract covers 36 aircraft, 28 F-39E and 8 F-39F, with 15 to be built in Brazil; Saab counted 11 delivered as of 2 June 2026, and the first Brazil-built E was unveiled at Gavião Peixoto on 25 March 2026. The Brazilian Air Force fired Meteor from the E for the first time in November 2025 at Natal, Saab reported. On 4 June 2026 Brazil signed a declaration of intent for 20 more under the contract's 25 percent option, which would bring the total to 56; Breaking Defense noted that no deal had been concluded. Saab and Embraer followed with heads of agreement on 21 July 2026 to raise Brazilian assembly from 15 to 35 aircraft, FlightGlobal reported (see GMN's fighter order-book round-up). Neither document is a contract.
Czechia leases 14 C/D (12 C and 2 D) and extended the lease to 2035 at 12 aircraft (10 C and 2 D) from 2027, AeroTime reported in September 2025, ahead of F-35A deliveries in 2031–35. Hungary leased 14 C/D from 2006 and has owned them since the lease expired in 2026; it ordered four additional C on 23 February 2024, received the first two on 30 April 2026 and the last two in June 2026, for a fleet of 18 (16 C and 2 D), per Defence Industry Europe. One Gripen C was lost in a crash at Szolnok on 24 August 2026, according to the Aviation Safety Network, leaving 17. South Africa placed the first export order in December 1999, for 28 aircraft; defenceWeb reported in June 2025, citing Armscor and SAAF figures, that the South African Air Force fleet stood at 24 with funding to keep 13 airworthy.
Thailand operates one squadron of C/D, all 11 at MS20, and ordered three E and one F on 25 August 2025 for about SEK 5.3 billion, with a contractual delivery window of 2025–2030. Khaosod English reported in May 2026 that the first Thai E/F had entered production, with the first delivery due in 2029 to replace F-16A/B at Wing 1, Nakhon Ratchasima; The Nation reported in July 2026 that the air force would seek funding for eight more in fiscal 2028, aiming at a 12-aircraft squadron. Colombia became the seventh Gripen user in November 2025 with a contract for 15 E and 2 F worth €3.1 billion, deliveries 2026–2032 per Saab, after the Colombian Air Force selection was announced in April 2025.
Ukraine signed a non-binding letter of intent on 22 October 2025 covering 100 to 150 E. On 28 May 2026 Sweden and Ukraine announced that up to 20 E/F would be bought and up to 16 C/D donated, with €2.5 billion drawn from the EU's Ukraine support loan, Journal de l'Aviation reported. The contract signed on 30 June 2026 covers 16 E for the Ukrainian Air Force, worth about SEK 24.6 billion, with deliveries in 2029–2030. The C/D remain a conditional donation pledge, not an order, with handover expected in early 2027 according to The War Zone.
| Versions | Fleet or order | Standard and status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | C/D and E | 71 C, 23 D (Oct 2025); 60 E on order, first accepted Oct 2025 | MS20, Block 3 from 2026; E on MS21 |
| Brazil | F-39E / F-39F | 36 ordered 2014 (28 E + 8 F); 11 delivered by Jun 2026 | MS21; 20 more under a declaration of intent |
| Czechia | C/D, leased | 14 (12 C + 2 D); 12 from 2027 | MS20 since 2018; Block 4 due; lease to 2035 |
| Hungary | C/D | 17 (15 C + 2 D) after an Aug 2026 loss | MS20 Block 2; owned since 2026 |
| South Africa | C/D | 28 ordered 1999; fleet of 24 in Jun 2025 defenceWeb | Funding for 13 airworthy, per defenceWeb |
| Thailand | C/D and E/F | 11 C/D; 3 E + 1 F ordered Aug 2025 | C/D at MS20; first E/F delivery 2029 |
| Colombia | E/F | 15 E + 2 F, contract Nov 2025 | Deliveries 2026–2032 |
| Ukraine | E ordered; C/D pledged | 16 E, contract Jun 2026; up to 16 C/D donation pledge | E deliveries 2029–30; C/D handover early 2027 |
What comes next
- Sweden: E deliveries continue against the 60-aircraft order, with MS21 in limited use and MS22 and MS23 undated; on the C/D, Block 3 deliveries run from 2026 and Block 4 follows in 2028.
- Gripen F: flight testing follows the 28 August 2026 first flight, ahead of delivery to Brazil, Saab said.
- Brazil: local assembly of the E is under way; the 20-aircraft add-on stays a declaration of intent until a contract is signed.
- Colombia, Thailand, Ukraine: Colombian deliveries fall in 2026–2032; Thailand's first E/F is due in 2029; Ukraine's E arrive in 2029–2030, the donated C/D in early 2027.
- Czechia and Hungary: Czech C/D fly to 2035, then F-35A; Hungary now owns its fleet.
- Competitions: Peru chose the F-16 Block 70 after a reversal, Aviation Week reported in April 2026, while the Gripen E is named as a contender in Portugal's F-16 replacement.
As with the Rafale's versions and standards, the letter identifies the airframe and the MS edition its current capability; on the Gripen, neither label crosses the line between the C/D and the E/F.