"The JAS-39 performance was at its worst inside the within visual range (WVR) envelope. Over a two-day period, PLAAF pilots shot down 25 Gripens at a loss of only one Su-27. The Su-27 has an advantage over the performance of the JAS-39 due to its more powerful Salyut AL-31F engines, and the Swedish aircraft was handicapped in that it was equipped with the older-generation AIM-9L Sidewinder instead of the current-generation Diehl IRIS-T missile," the trade magazine of record reported.
The situation changed greatly once the exercise transitioned to beyond visual range (BVR) combat, where the superiority of the JAS-39 became readily apparent. Thai pilots flying the Swedish aircraft shot down 41 Su-27s over a period of four days with a loss of only nine JAS-39s.
