Sweden's Saab Gripen E fighter jet employs sensor fusion technology comparable to America's F-35, according to operational advisor Jussi Halmetoja, challenging perceptions about the lightweight aircraft's capabilities.

Halmetoja, a former frontline pilot with 2,300 flight hours, revealed that Gripen E features autonomous sensor management similar to F-35's system. Aircraft automatically steers and tunes sensor parameters to optimise performance, eliminating complex manual routines for pilots.

Saab has developed sensor fusion technology for roughly 50 years across multiple platforms. Company pioneered integrated high-rate datalink systems in Sweden during the 1980s with Draken-era aircraft, establishing early command and control networks.

Gripen E now uses task-based high-level command structure with artificial intelligence and machine learning. System predicts mission outcomes and provides decision support for pilots, managing weapon launches while maintaining survivability against enemies.

"Ultimate point of Sensor Fusion is to maintain constant low workload for pilots so they can entirely focus on fight and mission," Halmetoja explained. Saab calls this approach 'human-machine collaboration'.

Two fighters competed in Netherlands, Switzerland, Nordic countries, Canada and Czech Republic for defence contracts. Gripen E represents stripped-down design philosophy compared to F-35's bulkier configuration.

Technology fuses data not just from single aircraft sensors but across entire networks including early warning radars and multiple platforms. This network-centric approach dates back decades in Swedish military aviation development.

Source: Hush Kit.