Sweden is finally poised to arm Ukraine with Saab Gripen fighter jets following a long-drawn-out campaign by the Ukrainian administration.
Sweden’s defense minister, Pal Jonson, told reporters on November 22 that his country had included spare parts for 14 Saab JAS 39 Gripen combat aircraft in the aid package for Ukraine, hinting at a potential donation of the jets to Kyiv. He was speaking in Stockholm at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov.
“There were spares for up to 14 [Gripen] platforms in the last package,” the Defense Minister told reporters, referring to the Swedish aid package worth SEK4.6 billion (USD415 million) that was unveiled on September 9, 2024. Jonson further specified that the Gripen spares make up half of this package’s total value. This seems to be the first time Sweden has taken a concrete step that would pave the way for Ukraine to operate Gripens.
The minister reiterated a long-held Swedish position that the continued delivery and support of the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons to the Ukrainian Air Force is the current priority of the international fighter collation, which consists of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Earlier, while unveiling the aid package, the Swedish government had said in a press release: “At the moment, transferring [the] JAS 39 Gripen to Ukraine is not a viable option, as it would interfere with the prioritized introduction of F-16 fighters. However, in parallel, the Swedish government is continuing its efforts to establish conditions for possible future support of JAS 39 Gripen fighters to Ukraine. Support package 17 does so by acquiring material parts for the JAS 39 Gripen worth approximately SEK 2.3 billion (EUR 0.2 billion).”
While the position likely remains the same, the Swedish Defense Minister indicated that some progress has been made on the potential transfer of Gripen.
“Gripens were part of our conversation today,” Jonson said while referring to his meeting with Ukraine’s Defense Minister Umerov. However, he added a caveat by saying: “It is not in the hands of ourselves but on export licenses and other partners in the fighter coalition who are waiting to donate the Gripen until they have gone further with the F-16.”
The Ukrainian aviators tested the aircraft and familiarized themselves with the Gripens in 2023.
Despite being urged by Ukraine to transfer these cutting-edge fighter jets, Sweden has taken time to evaluate the possible effects of this transfer on its own defense capabilities and to estimate how quickly it would be able to acquire new Gripen aircraft should the jets be given to Ukraine. With about 70 Gripen C and 23 Gripen D (two-seater) aircraft already in its inventory, the Swedish Air Force is set to deploy the more advanced and powerful Gripen E type.
Several parts from the older C/D variant are used in the construction of the E variant, for which the older aircraft are dismantled. So, it is possible that by allocating half of the package to the purchase of material components used in the production of new Gripen E/Fs, Sweden has somewhat laid the foundation for future Gripen transfer to Ukraine.
“By acquiring new material parts, several JAS 39C/D will be saved from being dismantled and can – if the Swedish government decides to – be considered for a possible future donation to Ukraine,” the government had said in the September press release.
However, a decision on the transfer of the aircraft has not been made yet. Moreover, any potential transfer of jets to Kyiv requires formal voting by the nation’s lawmakers to ratify the decision made by the country’s leadership, as the EurAsian Times explained in a report last year.
Currently, Ukraine is in the process of receiving the F-16 Fighting Falcons promised to it by NATO allies. It secured the delivery of the first fighters from Denmark in July 2024, following which the aircraft has been deployed in air defense roles.
The Swedish Defense Minister’s remarks follow French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s announcement that the country intends to arm Kyiv with French fighter jets in the first half of next year. Lecornu said, “Mirage 2000s could be flying in Ukraine in the first half of 2025,” without giving a specific date.
A Case For Gripens
When Ukraine first increased its demands for Western fighter jets, military experts and war scholars endorsed the Swedish Gripen as the most suitable combat aircraft to counter Russia.
In a report released on November 7 2022 by the UK-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), experts claimed that the Swedish aircraft is “by far the most suitable candidate” for Western-made fighter jets regarding operational needs for Ukrainian air defense.
Given that it is a highly capable multirole combat aircraft focusing on point air defense, built to be inexpensive and easy to maintain, the Gripen C/D would be a valuable addition to the Ukrainian Air Force inventory.
The Gripen was specifically developed with a threat from Russia in mind. This aircraft can take off and land quickly, allowing it to operate from taxiways, small public airports, and motorways. This allows them to undertake scattered operations.
Additionally, the aircraft does not need to be at set facilities for maintenance and repair, as designated mobile maintenance crews use military vehicles and vans to deliver fuel, ammo, and other components to the aircraft’s position.
SAAB claims that refueling and rearming, including reloading the cannon and adding air-to-air missiles, can be completed in less than ten minutes with a single technician and five conscript mechanics.
Moreover, the aircraft’s repair areas are easy to access thanks to push-button latches that open and close access panels. One small cargo container may hold all of the maintenance equipment. Additionally, the refueling door and service panel are located close together to reduce the time the crew must move about.
In 2019, Mats Helgesson, the air force’s then-commander in Sweden, claimed that the Gripen was “designed to kill Sukhois.” In addition to describing the Gripen’s electronic warfare capabilities as a “big advantage,” Davis also praised the jet’s maneuverability in a dogfight and its small radar signature. The Gripen can also be fitted with extremely long-range air-to-air missiles.
As experts have surmised in the past, these fighters’ ability to conduct scattered operations would bolster Ukraine’s capability amid Russia’s incessant aerial strikes. However, Ukrainian pilots would need to start training on the aircraft for it to be integrated into the country’s air force. Until that happens, the date of transfer would not change much on the ground.
The Gripen might not be a game-changer, much like the other Western fighter jets pledged to Ukraine, but it would allow Kyiv’s forces to mount a bigger challenge than it currently does and provide potent air defense in the longer run.
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