Modern, sexy, and deadly in combat. Swift, compact, reliable, and relatively affordable. Just a refreshing update to an already great aircraft. The idea of stealthily deploying a Gripen from a remote airfield or highway out in the taiga of northern Europe is such a ~vibe~.
The Swedish system with dispersed air bases goes back decades. The ability to move quickly between different dispersed airbases with minimal resources spread out across the country, makes us unpredictable. Gripen was designed with that in mind from the beginning. What makes the Swedish Gripen system unique is that we can operate like this and sustain for a long time.
To me, the Gripen feels like the polar opposite of the financial and technological boondoggle that is the F-35. Maybe with time we'll forget the troubles that plagued the F-35, much like we've forgotten the Gripen's troubled start in the 1980s and 1990s. Over time, the Gripen proved itself to be a capable aircraft the Swedish people can be proud of.