"Cripples" might be stressing things a bit hard. Modern near-peer warfare is network-centric - you don't need your radar to be perfect if your AWACs can share a 300km lock over Link 16. Similarly, active radar SEAD is just one option, and passive homing/home-on-jam should also be fine for anti-radiation strikes (though I still wouldn't want to send a Gripen on a Wild Weasel mission). It isn't a Marine or Navy plane, so it really doesn't have to fill the Joint Strike Fighter role in it's entirety.
I'm a huge F-35 fan myself, so I'm pretty hard-pressed to undersell the plane compared to other single-engine fighters. The Gripen isn't equipped to handle contested airspace whatsoever, the F-35 is absolutely king in that department. That said, a Gripen armed with Meteors is a mean payload even compared to an F-15 lugging around AMRAAMs. Unless you have expeditionary/naval operation roles to fill, the Gripen isn't lacking much that a normal customer would want.
I'm a huge F-35 fan myself, so I'm pretty hard-pressed to undersell the plane compared to other single-engine fighters. The Gripen isn't equipped to handle contested airspace whatsoever, the F-35 is absolutely king in that department. That said, a Gripen armed with Meteors is a mean payload even compared to an F-15 lugging around AMRAAMs. Unless you have expeditionary/naval operation roles to fill, the Gripen isn't lacking much that a normal customer would want.