On the export market, early models of the Gripen achieved moderate success, with sales to nations in Central Europe, South Africa, and Southeast Asia.

[14] In 1979, the government began a study calling for a versatile platform capable of "JAS", standing for Jakt (air-to-air), Attack (air-to-surface), and Spaning (reconnaissance), indicating a multirole, or swingrole, fighter aircraft that could fulfill multiple roles during the same mission.

[17][18] On 30 June 1982, with approval from the Riksdag,[19] the FMV issued contracts worth SEK 25.7 billion to Saab, covering five prototypes and an initial batch of 30 production aircraft.

[38] In June 2011, Saab announced that an internal investigation revealed evidence of acts of corruption by BAE Systems, including money laundering in South Africa, one of the Gripen's customers.

[41] In December 2007, as part of Gripen International's marketing efforts in Denmark, a deal was signed with Danish technology supplier Terma A/S that let them participate in an Industrial Co-operation programme over the next 10–15 years.

A new bill was introduced in 1983[44] and a final approval was given in April 1983 with the condition that the project was to have a predetermined fixed-price contract,[45] a decision that would later be criticized as unrealistic due to later cost overruns.

[47] The sitting Conservative government quickly endorsed and supported the Gripen – Minister of Defense Anders Björck issued a public reassurance that the project was very positive for Sweden.

[48] In connection to the Gripen's marketing efforts to multiple countries, including South Africa, Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary, there were reports of widespread bribery and corruption by BAE Systems and Saab.

[58] Price of purchase is what gets most attention during the procurement process, but over the lifetime of an aircraft system the operating costs will take the larger part of the total budget.

[74][75] Following a meeting with Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials in May 2011, Saab agreed to establish a development center in the UK to expand on the Sea Gripen concept.

[124] In addition, the new Gripen integrates the Skyward-G Infra-red search and track (IRST) sensor, which is capable of passively detecting thermal emissions from air and ground targets in the aircraft's vicinity.

[132] By 2008, the Cobra HMDS was fully integrated on operational aircraft, and is available as an option for export customers; it has been retrofitted into older Swedish and South African Gripens.

[132] The HMDS provides control and information on target cueing, sensor data, and flight parameters, and is optionally equipped for night time operations and with chemical/biological filtration.

[135] By November 2010, the Gripen had accumulated over 143,000 flight hours without a single engine-related failure or incident; Rune Hyrefeldt, head of Military Program management at Volvo Aero, stated: "I think this must be a hard record to beat for a single-engine application".

[149] Equipment for performing long range missions, such as an air-to-air refuelling probe and Onboard Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS), was integrated on the Gripen C/D.

[199] Initially, Hungary had planned to lease several Batch II aircraft; however, the inability to conduct aerial refuelling and weapons compatibility limitations had generated Hungarian misgivings.

[218] On 13 March 2013, South African Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula stated that "almost half of the SAAF Gripens" have been stored because of an insufficient budget to keep them flying.

[220] Speaking in September 2013, Brigadier-General John Bayne testified that the Gripen met the SAAF's minimum requirements, as the country faced no military threats.

[298][299][300] Since 2014, Ukraine considered locally producing the JAS 39 Gripen under license, but such plans were abandoned and the country focused on overhauling and upgrading its fleet of Soviet-era combat aircraft instead.

[301] In 2020, the Kyiv Post reported that Ukraine had plans on fully replacing its fleet of MiG-29s, Su-27s, Su-25s, and Su-24Ms with 72−108 Western 4.5 generation multirole combat aircraft such as the Gripen E/F or F-16 Block 70/72 by 2035.

[303] In August 2023 after visiting Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that "Ukrainian pilots had already begun training on the planes.

[325][326] In October 2018, potential suppliers responded to a renewed tender, consisting of new F-16V Vipers from Lockheed Martin, new Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, used Eurofighter Typhoons from Italy and used Gripen C/Ds from Sweden.

[345] By early December 2022, defence sources revealed an initial funding request for 16 F-35s had been approved by the Treasury Board of Canada, though Saab claimed their offer remained eligible for selection.

[360][361] In May 2019, Danish Minister of Defence Claus Hjort Frederiksen stated that Denmark is considering stationing fighters in Greenland to counter Russia's expanding military presence in the Arctic region.

Over 20% of the proposal price relating to Gripen was for weapons such as Meteor, IRIS-T, KEPD 350, SPEAR, EAJP (Electronic Attack Jammer Pod), and LADM (Lightweight Air-launched Decoy Missile).

[388] Allegedly, IAF officials, while happy with the Gripen NG's improved capabilities, noted its high reliance on US-supplied hardware, such as electronics, weaponry and the GE-F414 engine, as a factor that may hamper exports.

[392] On 23 September 2016, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian signed the contract for the purchase of 36 off-the-shelf Rafales in a deal worth €7.8 billion with an option for 18 more at the same inflation-adjusted price.

[423] By 22 December 2017, five entities had expressed interest in the procurement, including Saab AB with Gripen NG, Lockheed Martin with F-35, Boeing with F/A-18, Leonardo with Eurofighter Typhoon and Fights-On Logistics with second hand F-16s.

[425] On 30 August 2014, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Sweden signed a letter of intent agreeing to co-operate on using the Gripen, which might lead to its acquisition by the Slovak Air Force.

[426] In February 2018, the Slovak Ministry of Defence announced the launch of a new study to examine bids from the US and Swedish governments for the F-16V Viper and the Gripen to replace Slovakian MiG-29s.