- Category
- Latest news
Ukraine Gets Commitment for 150 Swedish Gripens—Plans Local Production and 250-Jet Fleet
- Authors
![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukraine has received a formal commitment from Sweden for 150 new Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighters in a deal worth $12–$15 billion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a meeting with journalists on October 28.
Kyiv plans to build that purchase into a much larger air force modernization program, the President said. Speaking about the country’s long-term aviation plan, Zelenskyy said Ukraine ultimately aims for a fleet of 250–300 modern combat aircraft, and that talks are underway with Sweden, France, and the United States.
Now boarding pic.twitter.com/gPvRSk0ZZS
— Ulf Kristersson (@SwedishPM) October 22, 2025
“We agreed with Sweden that we will sign a contract and Ukraine will have 150 new Gripens,” Zelenskyy said, calling the proposed localization of Gripen production in Ukraine “a historic agreement”—if the industrial-workshare provisions survive final edits.
He put the overall program value in the $12–$15 billion range and said the wider plan envisages eventual local production.
Zelenskyy described a three-platform strategy for Ukraine’s future combat air force: F-16, Gripen and Rafale.
Showed Sweden’s pride, the JAS Gripen, to President Zelenskyy.
— Ulf Kristersson (@SwedishPM) October 22, 2025
The world’s best fighter jet. pic.twitter.com/RpWZNllpMp
He said the Gripen is attractive because it is relatively cheap to operate and maintain, can operate from improvised strips, and can be integrated quickly with Western weapons.
“For our pilot with experience, training is not one and a half years like with F-16—it’s six months,” he said. “Everything that Ukraine uses—missiles and other weapons—can be fitted to the Gripen.”
Regarding procurement timing, Zelenskyy emphasized the complexity of the diplomatic and export approval processes involved: Sweden must open the platform for exports, and the United States must approve specific transfers and provide support.
He said the effort to secure Gripens has been raised repeatedly in discussions with partners—“probably eight or ten times”—and has involved parallel negotiations with France (for Rafale) and the US (for F-16).
Zelenskyy reiterated that acquiring 150 Gripens is a long process but “a very good option,” adding that Kyiv’s long-term goal is to scale the fleet to roughly 250 new combat aircraft, positioning Ukraine for decades of modernized air power.
Earlier, reports emerged that Ukraine expects to receive 150 Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets, with the first aircraft scheduled to arrive as early as 2026.
-f223fd1ef983f71b86a8d8f52216a8b2.jpg)
