The Jas-39 has a lot going for it, it's easy to see why the Super Hornet was tossed away, even ignoring the political reasons. It's not hard to see why it's attractive to a lot of people. Faster, more maneuverable, more range, cheaper to run, and while not stealth it still has a very small radar cross section. It ticks a lot of boxes.
The biggest reason to go F-35 over anything else would be electronic warfare. The way it's integrated internally with the Datalink and defensive systems is definitely the biggest gap, in my opinion, between 4.5 and 5th gen Jets. While it can still be achieved in a Gripen using an external pod, which is still extremely impressive, it's not integrated as well plus takes an external hardpoint away. This would be the biggest reason to go with the newer jet, and the biggest reason I'd be on board with an F-35 purchase. Stay on the cutting edge, especially since we'll likely be keeping the things for 50 years
Like I said, I'm happy with either of the two planes left.
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