On October 22, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks and visited the facilities of Saab Group, a JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet maker, GlobalEye surveillance aircraft, missile systems and many other military equipment.
At the press conference, Prime Minister Kristersson said that the two countries have signed a long-term cooperation agreement on air defense. The partnership includes the ability to export between 100 and 150 new-generation Gripen E fighter jets. If true, this will be the largest aircraft export order ever by Sweden.
"We are fully aware that this is a long way ahead," said Kristersson. "But from today, we are committed to exploring every possibility to provide Ukraine with a large number of Gripen fighter jets in the future."
The possibility of supplying Gripen to Ukraine has been considered for the past two years but has been suspended so that Kiev can focus on receiving and operating US-made F-16 fighter jets, which began deployment in August last year.
However, President Zelensky affirmed that Gripen is still a top priority. "We have started the work to get Gripen for Ukraine and we expect that future contracts will allow us to buy no less than 100 units," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian pilots had previously arrived in Sweden for a test flight of the Gripen. This type of aircraft is considered a durable choice and has a relatively low operating cost compared to other types of aircraft such as the US F-35.
Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine aims to receive and start using Swedish Gripen aircraft next year. "For our army, Gripen is a priority. The problem is money and mobility," he said.
Prime Minister Kristersson said there was no official decision yet but estimated that the production and delivery of the first new aircraft could take 3 years.
Regarding finances, Mr. Kristersson said that the source of money could come from frozen Russian assets or from other allies, but there is still a lot of work to be done before signing a final agreement.
Justin Bronk, an air warfare expert at the Royal unified Services Institute (RUSI) in London, said the potential deal shows that Ukraine has a long-term plan for the air force in the post-war period, rather than just looking for solutions for immediate combat needs.
Ukraine currently has US F-16 fighter jets and French Mirage 2000. Mr. Bronk believes that the Gripen E will theoretically represent a mid-range fighter with significantly superior capabilities, especially in radar, internal electronic warfare systems and the ability to carry Meteor long-range air missiles.
