Ukraine to Buy 20 New Gripen Jets as Sweden Donates 16

Ukraine has allocated €2.5 billion from a €90 billion European Union loan to buy 20 new Swedish-made Gripen E fighter jets and is set to receive 16 older models donated by Sweden, officials said. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed the agreement with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at Uppsala air base last week.

Officials said the aircraft are intended to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses as it fights Russia, and could face Russian opponents within about a year. The deal could expand to as many as 150 new planes, according to officials.

The Gripen, made by Saab, first flew in 1988 and has been sold to countries including Brazil and South Africa. It has carried out surveillance and air-policing missions, but has not been tested in high-intensity warfare of the kind Ukraine faces.

Analysts and military officials said the deployment would amount to a major combat test for a jet long marketed around operating under attack and confronting Russian systems.

Why the Gripen suits dispersed operations

Experts said the Gripen emphasizes ruggedness and operational flexibility, including the ability to take off and land from small airfields and even straight roads. That design can allow aircraft to disperse, making them harder to target than jets that rely on established bases.

Officials also pointed to quick turnaround on the ground. A six-person crew can refuel and rearm a Gripen and prepare it for another mission in under 10 minutes, they said.

Limits and battlefield implications

Analysts said the aircraft’s lower operating cost—estimated in the report at about $8,000 per flight hour—could help Ukraine sustain a higher tempo of operations than with more expensive platforms such as the F-35.

Experts said the Gripen’s Meteor air-to-air missiles could push Russian aircraft to operate farther from the front lines, potentially reducing the effectiveness of Russian glide-bombs. Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute cautioned that the Gripen lacks stealth and has a lighter weapons payload than some newer fighters, meaning it would not by itself establish air superiority against Russia’s ground-based air defense network.

What to watch next will be the timeline for deliveries, pilot training, and how quickly Ukraine can integrate the jets into combat operations, which officials indicated could occur within roughly a year.