Satenas, Sweden - The Swedish Air Force (SWAF) put its Gripen new-generation fighter to the test on Wednesday, demonstrating the aircraft in a peace-support role to the South African media.

Also taking part in the exercise was SA Air Force Major Musa Mbhokota, of the South African Gripen programme.

Mbhokota, 28, has been based in Linkoping, where Saab is manufacturing the Gripen, for a year. He expects to remain in Sweden another three to four years to help ensure South African taxpayers get value for money.

"Our role is to ensure the air force's requirement is well understood at Saab. We must also make sure the air force is well-informed of all developments so that we get the best system possible.

Speaking to the media minutes after landing after the exercise at the (Skoraborg) Wing's base at Satenas, on the shore of Lake Vanern, he proclaimed the mission a success, saying "it was a great flight. The weather was fantastic. It will be great to have this system back home. Using this system to its full capacity will be the challenge."

He said the aircraft, of which South Africa was buying 28, was incomparably better than the old Cheetah C and D aircraft.

The mission he had just flown with Swedish colleague Captain Stefen Rexling had seen them police a "no fly zone" drawn across south western Sweden and a "maritime exclusion zone" off the country's west coast.

The zones separate a notional "Goodland" from a fictional "Badland."

Patrolling such zones was one of the tasks the SWAF had identified for its Rapid Reaction Unit. Other tasks included intimidatory shows of force, close air support, interdiction, ground attack and air defence.

Experience had shown that the mere presence of fighter aircraft or the threat of their use encouraged parties to stick to agreements.

On Wednesday Mbhokota and Rexling, flying a two-seater Gripen with wingman Captain Henrik Holm, in a single-seater, flew a combat air patrol over the "frog Atlantic" (a pilot's nickname for the massive Lake Vanern) to dissuade hostile aircraft from interfering with the delivery of humanitarian aid in a post-war scenario.

According to the scenario drafted by Lieut Emma Andersson, Badland wished the peace process harm. Accordingly, the rules of engagement allowed for them to be shot down on entering the restricted airspace. A hostile aircraft duly presented itself and was shot down.

The Gripens were also scheduled to sink a "Badland" vessel that meant to interfere with humanitarian convoys shipping aid to "Goodland."

Major Bengt Eriksson, an instructor pilot, said he wanted the pilots to train air-to-air, air-to-ground as well as reconnaissance skills during the two-hour mission.

"It may be a bit unrealistic for everything to happen in the same mission, but we wanted to demonstrate this aircraft's flexibility to you," Eriksson said.

The Gripen was designed as a "swing-role" fighter during the Cold War, meaning it was meant to discharge a variety of tasks that in the past required several different aircraft.

After the flight, journalists who had watched the aircraft take off into a frigid grey fog rolling in from the lake were treated to a replay based on data collected during the flight by both aircraft and transmitted by data-link to their ground control station at the Satenas base.

The 40-computer aircraft, which became operational in 1996, is so advanced that pilots can, by way of the data-link, fire missiles at target aircraft using information provided by a third aircraft's radar.

This is a technology the much better funded US Navy's Aegis cruisers only acquired last year.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and News24.