Swedish Fighter Jet Courts Buyers as Europe Rethinks Arms

A Gripen D fighter jet pierces through the clouds above southern Sweden and is soon cruising at nearly the speed of sound. The test pilot begins putting the warplane through its paces.

With a flick of the wrist, the former air force major tips the jet into a descending, sideways turn revealing Gotland, the strategic Swedish island that has periodically drawn Russian encroachment. The vertical climb that follows pins a Bloomberg reporter onboard to his seatback, and the plane levels off. Then the afterburner kicks in, and an automated voice announces: “Transonic.” The Gripen hits Mach 1 at 768 miles per hour, just half its top speed.