Saab’s Gripen E fighter is not expected to make its maiden flight this year as the aerospace company has elected to qualify the aircraft’s distributed integrated modular avionics (DIMA) design to commercial standards before any test flights.
“This is not a customer or authority requirement – it is a business decision we have taken. We are confident it will benefit our customers with a stable and robust fighter from day one,” Saab Aeronautics’ head of operations, Lars Ydreskog, disclosed.
DIMA allows Saab to add new functions to the fighter without touching its flight critical software.
The company now expects the Gripen E to make its first flight in “quarter two of 2017.”