The Meteor missile programme completed its second Air Launched Demonstration (ALD) firing on 20 June 2006. This successfully continued the first Meteor firing campaign with a Gripen fighter aircraft at the FMV Vidsel test range in northern Sweden.

On 9th May, Meteor prime contractor MBDA conducted the first firing while the second took place on 20th June, completing the first two of a series of scheduled firings aimed at gathering data on the missile’s performance and its characteristics during launch and free flight. This data will be utilised in the further development of the missile. Both firings were rail-launched from a Saab Gripen combat aircraft flying at an altitude of 23,000 ft.

In 2001, Swedish authorities signed an international agreement to provide the Gripen new generation fighter aircraft as a test platform for testing the high-tech Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor missile.

The Meteor programme is an international cooperation between leading aerospace companies in Europe. The Meteor programme is being led by MBDA, in partnership with Saab Bofors Dynamics, and Spain’s INMIZE.

Headlines

Final Three Gripen Fighters Delivered to Hungary (13 Dec 2007)
Swedish Air Force Gripen Upgrade Contract Finalized (17 Oct 2007)
Swedish Air Force Gripen Gets Cobra Helmet-Mounted Display (03 Oct 2007)
Two More Hungarian Gripen Fighters Delivered (13 Aug 2007)
SAAB Selected GE F414G Engine for New Gripen Variant (02 Jul 2007)
Second Meteor missile firings with Gripen completed (21 Jun 2006)
First Five Gripen Fighters have arrived in Hungary (22 Mar 2006)
Maiden Flight First South African Gripen (11 Nov 2005)
First South African Gripen Roll-out (29 Oct 2005)
First Flight Dual Seat Hungarian Gripen (28 Oct 2005)
Final Czech Gripens Delivered (31 Aug 2005)
First Flight Czech Two-seat Gripen (21 Apr 2005)
First Six Gripen Arrive in Czech Republic (18 Apr 2005)
Hungarian Saab Gripen First Flight (20 Feb 2005)
First Hungarian Gripen Ready (25 Jan 2005)
Celebration of the First Czech Republic Gripen aircraft (15 Dec 2004)
Maiden Flight of First Czech Gripen (18 Oct 2004)