All articles tagged with #gripen e
President Zelensky announced that Ukraine and Sweden signed a deal to purchase 16 Gripen E fighters with a complete support package, while Ukraine is also set to receive 16 Gripen C/D jets in early 2027 as part of broader defense cooperation including drones and anti-ballistic capabilities.
Sweden’s Saab announced a SEK 24.6 billion deal with the Swedish FMV to deliver 16 Gripen E fighters to Ukraine, with first providing 16 Gripen C/D jets donated and handed over by 2027; the Gripen Es are scheduled for delivery to Ukraine between 2029 and 2030. The package includes spare parts and equipment. The Gripen E features a larger fuel load, GE F414 engine, ten hardpoints, the ES-05 Raven AESA radar, IRST, and compatibility with Meteor missiles, and it will operate alongside Ukraine’s Erieye AEW&C aircraft. Training for Ukrainian pilots and technicians on the Gripen C/D is already underway, with a longer-term aim of expanding to 100–150 Gripen aircraft in the future.
Ukraine could operate 96–129 Western fighter jets by the early 2030s (F-16s, Mirage 2000s, and Gripens), with used Gripen Cs/Ds arriving around 2030 and new Gripen Es possibly joining later; total numbers depend on donor schedules and combat-readiness of aircraft.
Ottawa is weighing a mixed fighter fleet that would trim the F-35A order by more than half, keeping as few as 40 jets and buying up to 80 Saab JAS-39 Gripen Es to boost sovereignty and create jobs (estimates around 12,600). The Gripen package focuses on industrial benefits and domestic aerospace links, while 16 F-35s are already obligated and 72 remain undecided as a review ordered by Prime Minister Carney proceeds. A mixed fleet is intended to preserve NORAD/NATO interoperability while diversifying partners away from Lockheed Martin, though no final decision has been made.
Sweden is progressing in negotiations to help fund Ukraine's potential purchase of up to 150 Gripen E fighter jets, possibly through export credits, aid, and frozen Russian assets, with some European countries potentially contributing to the financing.
Ukraine is moving towards a long-term industrial partnership with Sweden to purchase 100-150 Gripen E fighter jets from Saab, with deliveries potentially starting in 2026, as part of broader efforts to strengthen Ukraine's air defense and European security.