In joint exercises between the Royal Thai Air Force's JAS 39 Gripen fighters and the People's Liberation Army Air Force's (PLAAF) Su-27s, the Gripen demonstrated superior performance.
To be sure, the Saab AB JAS 39 Gripen is a non-stealth fourth-generation fighter, so let’s not get carried away. But it’s popular with air forces from smaller countries such as Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Thailand because its price runs cheap at under $60 million an airplane – that’s four million less than the F-16.
To deter Russia in the sky, the JAS 39 Gripen (Griffin) took its first flight in December 1988 and entered operational service with the Swedish Air Force in 1997.