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Sweden and Ukraine have officially inked a major defense cooperation agreement that could result in the Ukrainian Air Force receiving up to 150 fighter jets.
Getting into it: The agreement, formalized as a letter of intent and signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Linköping, outlines a potential export deal for 100 to 150 JAS 39 Gripen-E multirole fighter jets manufactured by Swedish defense giant Saab. While not a finalized contract, the letter sets the stage for what would be Sweden’s largest-ever arms export and a massive leap forward in Ukraine’s quest to replace its aging Soviet-era aircraft with modern Western platforms.
The Gripen-E is a modernized, fourth-generation fighter equipped with advanced radar, electronic warfare systems, and networking capabilities that allow it to share target data and coordinate missile strikes across multiple aircraft. It was specifically designed for dispersed operations and can take off from short or improvised runways (which is a huge plus for Ukraine). The aircraft has also been praised for its low maintenance requirements, battlefield durability, and cost-effectiveness, with a per-unit cost estimated at $85 million.
Despite all of this, it’s unclear how Ukraine will finance the deal and Sweden’s defense ministry has not yet disclosed funding mechanisms or whether any jets would be donated, subsidized, or sold at full market price.
In a statement, Swedish Prime Minsiter Kristersson said, “We fully realize it’s a long road ahead of us, but from today we are committed to exploring all the possibilities in providing Ukraine with a large amount of Gripen fighters in the future.” He added that “Sweden supports the development of Ukraine’s future air force.”
