Sweden Just Put Gripen on Ukraine’s Flight Path With 16 Fighters and a New Jet Deal

Ukraine and Sweden have signed a declaration deepening defense cooperation, paving the way for Ukraine to receive 16 JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter jets, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said during a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on May 28.

According to Kristersson, delivery of the aircraft is expected in early 2027. Ukrainian President stated that the first planes are expected to arrive in Ukraine in 10 months.

“This will strengthen Ukrainian air defense and Europe’s air protection. Ukrainian pilots have already flown Gripen fighters, and you told us that this is an extremely big change,” the Swedish prime minister said.

The agreement marks the next step after a letter of intent signed last year, which outlined plans for Ukraine to purchase between 100 and 150 new Gripen fighters.

The Swedish government said Ukraine’s top priority remains air defense. To strengthen it, Sweden and Ukraine are launching a major defense deal under which Ukraine will acquire Swedish Gripen fighter jets.

As a first step, Sweden is enabling the procurement of up to 20 Gripen E/F aircraft, for which Ukraine plans to allocate €2.5 billion from the EU’s Ukraine Support Loan. If Ukraine proceeds with that purchase, Sweden also aims to donate 16 Gripen C/D aircraft as bilateral assistance.

Sweden also announced its largest military support package for Ukraine to date. In addition to enabling the Gripen C/D donation, the package includes long-range capabilities, ammunition, electronic warfare systems, and support for defense innovation.

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The JAS 39 Gripen C/D is a lightweight Swedish multirole fighter designed for air defense, strike missions, and reconnaissance. It is known for relatively low operating costs, NATO-compatible weapons, and the ability to operate from short road runways and dispersed bases—a feature that could be especially valuable for Ukraine under constant Russian missile and drone threats.

The newer Gripen E/F version offers improved avionics, radar, range, and weapons capacity, making the potential future procurement a major long-term upgrade for Ukraine’s Air Force.

Earlier, reports emerged that Sweden’s Saab was evaluating the possibility of equipping its JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets with low-cost APKWS guided rockets as an affordable way to counter drones—a concept shaped heavily by Ukraine’s battlefield experience.

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