Originally Posted by braindead

Glyn , in this video Gripen performs a amazing feat , how much is it similar to Harriers take-off and landing . I seem to recall that Harriers preferred landing with a little roll , not vertical landing

The Viggen is classed as STOL but is not in the Harrier class which is VTOL. It has a very sturdy undercarriage and uses reverse thrust on a tactical landing (which mostly means roads).

. And Viggens take-off distance seems very short , probably 2-3 times longer than Harrier , but still impressive .

The Harrier needs a take off run when carrying any significant payload but this is still less that the Viggens take off run, even in the worst case. The Harrier can also land conventionally, and sometimes has to do so, but with its zero track u/c this can give a wild ride on occasion.

Could Viggen be described as the pretty much the best from both worlds ? Pretty short take-off/landing characteristics and less limitations than Harrier /Yak-38 ? Your help is much appreciated as a always !