CGA-Albanair AF-239 Griffin

The CGA-Albanair AF-239 Griffin, commonly known as the AF-39 Griffin, is the Royal Air Force of Albion designation for the Saab JAS-39E/F Gripen, produced under license by CGA-Albanair. It is Albion's projected replacement for the Grumman AF-144 Tomcat in the role of fighter aircraft and represents the first fighter aircraft produced by an Alban aerospace company since the Avro Albion AF-104 Archer of the 1960s.

Procurement
The selection of the JAS-39 Gripen to replace Albion's aging fleet of AF-14 Tomcats followed significant political controversy across several elections.

A need to replace the AF-14s was identified going back to the early 2000s, but deferred until the administration of Anthony Handler. Albion had signed on as a lower-level partner in the development of the Joint Strike Fighter as early as 1997, and in 2010 the government announced that it would procure 72 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighters to replace the AF-14s. The contract was anticipated to cost approximately $10 billion, or up to $18 billion with the inclusion of ancillary costs, though Defence Minister Peter Napier argued these costs were inflated by improper inclusions never calculated into prior cost assessments.

The selection of the F-35 was criticized by opposition parties and some retired military personnel. The opposition Progressives criticized the aircraft as too expensive, too short-ranged and too complex for Albion's needs, while others questioned the lack of a competition and the sole-sourcing of the aircraft. Albion's aircraft sector was mixed on the procurement, with some figures supporting the choice and others rejecting it.

Competing companies filed legal challenges throughout 2010 and into 2011, with Boeing Albion and Dassault Aviation both filing suits alleging that their aircraft - the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Dassault Rafale - were denied the opportunity to compete. Representatives of Eurofighter GmbH and Saab AB offered the Eurofighter Typhoon and the JAS-39 Gripen as lower-cost alternatives, while Helwan Arabian Aircraft offered to demonstrate the HAAC HA-520 for potential export. The Alban government stood by the selection of the F-35, arguing its capabilities would be suitable until at least 2050.

A series of damaging reports and project delays served to undermine confidence in the choice of the F-35. Criticism amounted on three fronts. Escalating costs caused the total price tag of the deal to balloon to nearly $50 billion by 2013, even taking into account the Handler government's projections of 72 aircraft as an "absolute minimum," not considering attrition replacements. The procurement process was harshly criticized by Handler's own auditor general. Further, the aircraft itself was subject to numerous technical criticisms, including allegations that the F-35 failed several key performance requirements put forth by the RAFA, including a requirement for 360 field of vision while operating in absolute darkness. A further technical study indicated that the F-35's communications equipment would be inadequate to operate in the High Arctic and that its single-engine design would endanger pilots alone on patrol.

The aircraft procurement was an issue in the 2013 election, but was largely overshadowed by the Stratoscam scandal and remarks by Handler interpreted by the opposition as a promise that his government would privatize more of health care. It nevertheless tripped up Progressive Party leader John Korderas on the campaign trail after he claimed he would replace the AF-14 with the outdated Avro Albion AF-105 Arrow.

Handler's government was returned with a minority, and his government continued to face criticism and hurdles as costs for the deal mounted. The Handler government revised its contract with Lockheed Martin down to 60 aircraft, a number criticized by new Opposition leader Rachael Neel Shergold as insufficient to defend Albion's interests. Under pressure from Parliament and with the F-35's capabilities and procurement becoming the subject of national ridicule, the Handler government agreed to conduct a "reset" of the procurement process, beginning in 2014. This process was not a full competition, serving mainly as a comparative report of the F-35 against competing types solicited by the federal government. The review was heavily criticized for a selection of narrow criteria seemingly purpose-designed to skew the report in favour of the F-35, despite leaked details of other competing packages demonstrating that virtually any other fighter aircraft would provide a more economical package for Albion's needs.

The F-35 remained a political controversy in the 2016 election, in which the Labour Party ran on a promise to cancel the procurement. The subsequent Labour majority government followed through on their promise and slashed the entire F-35 order, inviting competitors to a new procurement process.

Replacement Fighter procurement
The newly-launched Replacement Fighter competition was immediately criticized by the Liberals for qualifications they perceived as discriminatory against the F-35. Lockheed Martin nevertheless submitted the F-35 to the new procurement, alongside Boeing Albion's Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Dassault Rafale and the JAS-39E Gripen. Dassault withdrew the Rafale from the competition early in 2017, citing cost and development issues with properly integrating the aircraft to meet NORAD and Five Eyes requirements. Airbus withdrew the Eurofighter for similar reasons later that year, leaving the F-35, the Super Hornet and the Gripen as competitors.

Public and government opinion strongly favoured the Super Hornet, which at the time was already in use with the Alban Fleet Air Arm and had the advantage of being the only twin-engined aircraft in the competition. However, reports emerged in 2017 that the government was increasingly impressed by the Gripen. Key to the Gripen's showing were its exceptional cost-to-performance ratio and ease of maintenance, areas the F-35 was heavily criticized for. The most important factor, however, was a generous technology transfer agreement being offered by Saab. The first few airframes would be constructed in Sweden with Alban assistance, but the lion's share of the production would be granted under license to CGA-Albanair and domestic subcontractors. The combination of lower cost and domestic job incentives saw the Gripen rapidly gain favour, much to the consternation of Boeing, already under suspicion for its perceived illegal lobbying of the Handler government during the Stratoscam fiasco.

In 2018, the Ministry of Defence announced the selection of the Gripen-E as the winner of the Replacement Fighter competition. The selection was criticized by the Liberals and Progressives on the grounds that the Gripen was a non-stealth aircraft with a single engine - the latter criticism falling flat due to the Liberals' support of the single-engine F-35, the former gaining more traction. The ultimate deal saw Albion agree to procure 100 Gripens for a cost of approximately $12.5 billion up front, with ancillary costs further swelling the price. The government touted the contract as delivering more aircraft better suited to the role for less cost than the F-35 deal, with significantly greater domestic economic benefits.

The RAFA later announced the new aircraft would be known as the AF-239 Griffin in Alban service, though the name is commonly shortened to AF-39. Delivery was expected to begin in 2021, with the aircraft likely to enter service in 2023.

Adaptations for Albion
In most respects, Griffins assembled in Albion are broadly identical to the standard JAS-39E/F Gripen, with minor modifications:


 * The AF-239s will feature an under-fuselage "false canopy" as part of the standard Federal Identification Program marking pattern.
 * All AF-239s will be equipped to carry American and other non-SAAB equipment to ensure the aircraft are fully interoperable with the United States military and with Albion's existing stock of equipment, particularly the AIM-9X Sidewinder, AIM-120D AMRAAM and General Dynamics/Westinghouse AIM-152B AAAM missiles in the air-to-air role. The aircraft are expected to be compatible with the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile upon its entry into service.
 * The AF-239s are equipped to optionally carry the Selex ES BriteCloud DRFM jammer, the first such aircraft in Commonwealth service to do so.
 * As with the earlier Gripen-C/D, the AF-239s feature NATO-compatible air-to-air refuelling probes.

A particular question is whether the Griffin will be able to employ the AIM-152B anywhere near as effectively as the AF-14. The AFAA's Super Hornets can carry the AIM-152B but lack the radar capability to deploy it at its full range, effectively limiting them to AMRAAM combat ranges in the air-to-air role. The AF-14's AN/APG-71 radar could spot targets out to 370 kilometres. While the Griffin's Selex ES-05 Raven AESA radar is more sophisticated and with a much wider field of view, its range is believed to be more limited. The RAFA insists that the Griffin is "fully capable of effectively deploying all existing ordnance in any role," including the AAAM, but analysts remain skeptical of the ability of the aircraft to effectively deploy the AAAM against modern Soviet or Chinese threats.

Criticism
The procurement of the Griffin has been criticized by the Liberal and Reform Parties and by some defense analysts as an example of procurement based on budgetary rather than military needs. The Griffin is particularly criticized because it is a single-engine fighter. Twin-engined fighters are favoured by some theorists because in the event of one engine failing over the High Arctic, the aircraft can still limp home on one engine, whereas a single-engine fighter could be lost without immediate rescue at hand.

The Griffin is not a stealth aircraft and is a proven generation 4.5 fighter at a time when the United States and the Soviet Union are increasingly fielding fifth-generation designs with geometric and material stealth. By contrast, the Griffin largely relies on electronic stealth. Critics hold that this limitation will weaken Albion's ability to defend its airspace from foreign threats. The Shergold government contends that the Griffin's electronic countermeasures are "suited to the purpose and up to the task" of defending Albion. Privately, the RAFA is reported to harbour doubts about the efficacy of geometric stealth, which they see as likely to become an overall hindrance upon the development of radars capable of locking on to a stealth aircraft - a development seen as relatively imminent. The RAFA cites internal reports shared by the Republic of Salonika Defense Force stating that the F-35's geometric stealth is likely to be solved by adversary forces by the 2030s through advances in radar detection as evidence that electronic stealth countermeasures are both more reliable and more "future-proof."

Specifications
General characteristics

Specifications listed for Griffin-E.


 * Crew: 1
 * Length: 49 ft 10 in
 * Wingspan: 28 ft 3 in
 * Height: 14 ft 9 in
 * Empty weight: 17,637 lb
 * Max takeoff weight: 36,376 lb
 * Internal fuel capacity: 7,500 lb
 * Powerplant: 1 x General Electric F414-GE-39E afterburning turbofan, 13,900 lbf thrust dry, 22,000 lbf with afterburner

Performance


 * Maximum speed: Mach 2
 * Cruising speed: 925 km/h
 * Combat range: 1,500 km
 * Ferry range: 4,000 km
 * Service ceiling: 52,000 feet
 * g limits: +9 -3
 * Thrust/weight: 1.04
 * Takeoff distance: 500 m
 * Landing distance: 600 m

Armament


 * Guns: 1 x 27mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon with 120 rounds
 * Hardpoints: 10 (3 x under fuselage, 2x wing, 2 x wingtip, 1x dedicated FLIR/LD/recon pod) with a capacity of 11,700 lb
 * Rockets:
 * 4x rocket pods, 13.5 cm rockets
 * Missiles:
 * 6 x AIM-9X Sidewinder
 * 7 x AIM-120D AMRAAM
 * 7 x AIM-152B AAAM
 * 4 x AGM-65 Maverick
 * 2 x AGM-84 Harpoon/AGM-84E SLAM/AGM-84E/H/K SLAM-ER
 * 2 x AGM-88 HARM
 * Bombs:
 * 7 x GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb
 * 8 x Mark 82 bombs
 * 16 x GBU-39 SDB
 * Avionics:
 * Selex ES-05 Raven AESA radar
 * Skyward-G IRST system
 * Air-to-air and air-to-surface tactical data link
 * Wide Area Display single-screen display
 * Targo helmet-mounted display
 * ANVIS advanced night vision system/HUD