In the early 1980s, Sweden's Saab 37 Viggen fighters were quickly becoming obsolete. Consequently, a decision was made to develop a new, multi-role aircraft. The aircraft was designed to perform intercept, ground-attack, and reconnaissance missions. The first prototype took to the skies in 1988. After further refinements, the aircraft entered mass production as the Saab JAS39 Gripen. Following the end of the Cold War and changes to Sweden’s military doctrine, a modernized version was introduced: the JAS39C. It featured updated avionics, an improved radar, an in-flight refueling system, and compatibility with NATO standards.

At the same time, a two-seat variant, the JAS39D, was developed. Primarily intended for pilot training, it retained all the combat capabilities of the single-seat version and could perform air defense, strike, and reconnaissance missions. Due to the second cockpit, its internal fuel capacity is slightly less than that of the C version, and its cannon was removed. In 2007, the Swedish government signed a contract with Saab AB to upgrade 31 early-production aircraft to the C/D standard. JAS 39C/D aircraft have been exported and are in service with Sweden, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Thailand, and South Africa.

The JAS39D was introduced in Update 2.55 "Ninth Wave". This two-seat trainer and combat version retains all the key advantages of the JAS39C. Like the single-seat variant, the Gripen D is equipped with a large number of external weapons to perform various missions. For air combat, it has excellent flight characteristics and effective air-to-air armaments: the AIM-9M Sidewinder and the Rb 99 (the Swedish designation for the AIM-120 AMRAAM). Drawbacks of the fighter include the absence of a 27-mm cannon and limited capacity of air-to-air missiles.