United to win: Sweden to consider providing Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine soon

Sweden plans to instruct the country's Armed Forces shortly to study the possibility of transferring Gripen fighters to Ukraine.

Radio Ekot reports this.

The government wants to know the implications for Sweden's defense if they provide aircraft to Ukraine and how fast they can get new Gripen jets in return.

In addition, the Swedish government should determine how to train Ukrainian pilots and other ground personnel on airplanes.

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The Saab JAS 39 Gripen aircraft is a fourth-generation multirole aircraft designed with versatility in mind. Formally, it belongs to the fighter class, but it was conceived as a multi-purpose aircraft capable of performing various tasks.

It should be noted that the Ukrainian government has repeatedly requested help with fighter jets from several countries, including Sweden. Requests were made as early as the summer of 2022, and already in February 2023, Ukrainian ex-Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov expressed Ukraine's desire to receive the JAS 39 Gripen.

Already at the end of May, the Swedish government allowed Ukrainian pilots to undergo training on the JAS 39 Gripen fighter. They will be able to practice on simulators and make test flights.

The Office of the President reported that the transfer of Swedish Gripen to Ukraine should be coordinated with other countries and the supply of F-16.

However, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson later said that the country needs aircraft for its defense because its application to join the Alliance has not yet been completed. At the same time, he did not rule out the future transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine.

As Rubryka wrote, on August 19, in Sweden, representatives of Kyiv and Stockholm signed a declaration of intent regarding the joint production and maintenance of Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles.