From the article:

> Saab is also in the running to sell Canada some of its Gripen fighters.

The Iran war has uncovered a vulnerability of the USAF's approach to basing. The USAF likes to build large, elaborate air bases. Many of the bases used to attack Iran have been hit by Iran.[1][2]

Large air bases are tough to defend from drones and missiles in quantity. There are anti-drone weapons, but now that drones are used by the thousands and tens of thousands, some of the attacks will get through. A major air base is a big, fat, soft target. Both the US and Russia have recently found this out the hard way. Air forces now need to disperse and hide. Saab, which stresses operating from minimal airfields and roads, has aircraft better suited to that.[3]

Stealth may not help as much, especially for fighters. Geometric stealth, which is designed to reflect radar beams to anywhere except straight back, doesn't help for bistatic and multi-static radar. All the players in the current wars have some of those systems now.

So, as in WWII, air operations anywhere near the enemy require dispersal.

[1] https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/iran-strikes-us-bases-mid...

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/world/middleeast/iran-str...

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyD0liioY8E