Ukraine Eyes Swedish Gripen Fighter Jets in Its Air Battle Against Russia

“We already have commitments from our partners on the F-16 and Mirage jet fighters,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umierov announced on September 22, 2024. “Consultations are underway on Gripen and Eurofighters.”

Introduction of the Gripen has been on the table since 2023 and Ukrainian pilots have already completed introductory training on the fighter jets. Currently, the Air Force Capability Coalition for Ukraine is focusing on the final deliveries of the F-16s. 

Though we don’t know much more than that yet. Let’s take a look at what the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen Fighter Jet could do for Ukraine.

What is the Swedish Gripen?

Introduced in 1986, the JAS 39 Gripen is a multi-role fighter jet built by Swedish manufacturer SAAB Military Aircraft. JAS stands for its main capabilities; Jakt (air-to-air), Attack (air-to-surface), and Spanning (reconnaissance). 

The Swedish Gripen was named when the Swedish Air Force's magazine “FlygvapenNytt” published a competition to name the fighter Jet. The winner chose the name Gripen translated from the English word “Griffin”. 

Its name “represents a mythical creature that has the face, beak, claws, and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion,” the winner remarked, said SAAB. “According to the legend, the force of the lion and the wisdom of the eagle symbolize the force and wisdom of God, causing Griffin to be recognized as the king of heaven and earth. Thus, no one could stand in its way.” 

The Gripen is already in service with air forces in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Since Sweden joined NATO on 7 March 2024, discussions on transferring the Gripen have begun.

What can the Gripen do? 

There are several variants of the Gripen. The Gripen E’s weapon system covers all bases, carrying a payload of 10 weapon systems to conduct a variety of offensive and defensive missions. 

The Gripen can be fitted with the well-known German-Swedish Taurus missile for a long-range strike capability. It can use a variety of guided and unguided munitions for precision striking against fixed and moving targets. 

For short-range targets, the Gripen can also be fitted with the IRIS-T missile, already being used in Ukraine. The IRIS-T has a lock-on after-launch capability which enables flexible target engagement, even if the target is behind the fighter jet. 

Both the F-16 and the Gripen fighter jets are fairly similar, as highlighted by Ukraine’s military portal Defence Express in a comparison of the two. They both are 4+ generation light single-engine aircraft multirole fighter jets. Their onboard equipment for most variants from both aircraft is the same, however, the F-16 holds a slight edge over older versions of the Gripen.

Their flight characteristics, such as maximum speed, are almost identical, Defense Express noted. One advantage, however, is that the Gripen uses a shorter runway with lower requirements which is not only advantageous for take-off, but for inter-flight maintenance too. 

However, there are far more F-16s in production and are in operation in more than three dozen countries, extending the lifespan of the F-16. 

Both fighter jets have their advantages, and ultimately Ukraine seeks to bolster its skies with as much arsenal as possible to seek air superiority against Russian forces. 

When might we see the Gripen in Ukrainian skies?

Ukrainian pilots have already completed introductory training on the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets in 2023 which included simulators and practical flights. 

Sweden announced a military aid package for Ukraine on September 9, 2024, worth $443 million. The package includes material parts for the JAS 39 Gripen jets worth just under $230 million.

Ukrainian pilots have already completed introductory training on the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets in 2023 which included simulators and practical flights. 

Sweden announced a military aid package for Ukraine on September 9, 2024, worth $443 million. The package includes material parts for the JAS 39 Gripen jets worth just under $230 million.

The "fighter jet coalition" in support of Ukraine is currently focusing on completing the F-16 program and partners of the coalition are focusing on the F-16, and now will begin to introduce the Mirage fighter jet from France.

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Johnson stated that the introduction of the Gripen won’t be rushed, "it is not in line with how the coalition views the introduction of two fighter aircraft systems at the same time," he said.

As Russia continues to indiscriminately attack Ukraine, consultations and discussions continue. There are more F-16s, along with the French Mirage to be delivered to Ukraine in the hopes of fully protecting Ukrainian skies.