During the Cold War, the Swedish Armed Forces were to be ready to defend against a possible invasion. This scenario required combat aircraft to be dispersed in order to maintain an air defence capacity.[129] Thus, a key design goal during the Gripen's development was the ability to take off from snow-covered landing strips of only 800 metres (2,600 ft);[130]furthermore, a short-turnaround time of just ten minutes, during which a team composed of a technician and five conscripts would be able to re-arm, refuel, and perform basic inspections and servicing inside that time window before returning to flight.