"Our goal is to ultimately develop a comprehensive set of needs and gap analysis with traceable documentation of the joint warfighter requirements for space," said Lt. Gen. Chance Saltzman, before investing in solutions.
The JAS 39 Gripen is a Swedish delta-wing canard multirole fighter produced by Saab. It is powered by a single Volvo RM12 turbofan engine supplying 18,100 lbf. (80.5 kN) of afterburning thrust. The RM12 is a license-produced variant of the General Electric F404-GE-400. The newer JAS 39NG series aircraft carry the higher-power GE F414G, which provides upwards of 22,000 lbf. (97.9 kN) of afterburning thrust.
SWAC Director Andrew Cox joked that his office would be "building Pinocchios" if it can't move its blueprints for change into real-boy programs with funding behind them.
Many analysts and Pentagon strategists are quick to point out that the US margin of military technological military superiority is much less than it was at the time of the Gulf War.