Ukraine to acquire up to 20 Gripen fighter jets, on track to receive batch of older models   - Breaking Defense

A Saab JAS-39C Gripen flies at Airpower 24 on September 7, 2024 in Zeltweg, Austria. (Mario Skraban/Getty Images)

BELFAST — Sweden announced today that Ukraine has agreed to order up to 20 Saab-manufactured Gripen E/F fighter jets and will receive a donation of 16 older Gripen C/D standard aircraft from the Nordic nation.

In a statement announcing the decisions, Stockholm said that Kyiv plans to allocate €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) from the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan to fund the package for the more modern Gripen combat aircraft.

“When Ukraine proceeds with the intended purchase, Sweden also aims to donate sixteen Gripen C/D aircraft as bilateral assistance,” noted the statement, but coincided with a press conference held at Uppsala Air Base, in eastern Sweden, attended by the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“The donation also includes advanced ammunition, which may consist of IRIS-T missiles, advanced medium range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM) and long-range METEOR air-to-air missiles,” Stockholm also shared.