Stockholm - Swedish defence group Saab on Wednesday questioned some of the assessments made by Norway in its recent decision to select a US-made jet fighter over the Sweden's JAS Gripen. Norway last month said it would buy the US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) when it replaces its aging fleet of 48 F-16 jet fighters.
The US jet fighter fulfilled all criteria set up by Norway and also had a lower price tag than the JAS Gripen, Oslo said.
Saab is vying to supply jets to other countries and has some concern that the Norwegian assessment will impede those efforts.
The claim that the Gripen fighter would be "essentially more expensive must, according to our view, rest on an incomplete, or even faulty, analysis," Saab chief executive Ake Svensson said.
He added that the simulations used about the Swedish-made fighter were based on "incomplete performance information."
In addition to Sweden, JAS Gripen jets have been bought or leased by South Africa, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Thailand recently bought six planes and Gripen International presented an offer to India for 126 jet fighters in April.
Defence experts have said the US fighter likely had the edge since Norwegian air force pilots have flown US-made fighters for decades.
Last year, the Eurofighter consortium pulled out of the process to offer fighter jets to Norway.
