You simply cannot trust US military equipment anymore.

How do you know they won’t do to your equipment what they did to Ukraine’s F16s?

That’s with subsequent production F35 batches / “lots”: then the Gripen can be cheaper too if made in larger scale.

Cost per flight hour.

Indeed though, F35 has become relatively inexpensive per unit, as intended.

Cost per flight hour doesn't make nearly as much sense to focus on as you think it does in an active war.