I’ve always thought that the Gripen has the possibility of being the Mirage III of its generation, as it is the smallest, cheapest, and cheapest to operate of the 4th generation aircraft.

Gripen to get AESA in mid-life upgrade
Keeping pace with the technology trend, Saab’s JAS39 Gripen is to be fitted with a multi-channel active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, likely to be introduced under a planned mid-life upgrade (MLU) that could come along as early as 2010.

Development of the AESA radar for Gripen started out under the Saab Ericsson NORA (Not Only a RAdar) programme, and has been underway for several years, including test flying aboard a specially-retained Saab JA-37 Viggen testbed. One of the main benefits of the NORA concept was the provision of improved long-range tracking as a result of the combination of longer detection range and electronically-steered beam control. The AESA radar programme is directly linked to MIDAS (Multifunction Integrated Defensive Avionics System), which will also add electronic attack and advanced datalinking capabilities.