AAB MILITARY AIRCRAFT HAS introduced small vortex-generating strakes (inset) on the JAS39 Gripen fighter. They are located on the upper-forward fuselage behind the aircraft's fore-planes. Saab says that the strakes are being added to provide "better performance at low speeds and high angles of attack". The strakes were introduced on the production line after two-thirds of the first batch of Gripens had been built, says Saab. They will eventually be retrofitted to early-build aircraft.
Source: Flight International
