The Swedish government plans to donate several JAS 39 Gripen fighters to Ukraine, as reported by Aftonbladet and YLE. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is currently visiting Sweden.
JAS 39 Gripen fighters are the older C and D model Gripen variants. Sweden is also currently negotiating to sell up to 150 newer E model Gripens to Ukraine, with the help of an EU loan. Currently, there is no information on the timetable for the donation. According to unconfirmed reports, Sweden and Ukraine have already agreed that Ukrainian pilots would receive Gripen training this year.
According to experts, the JAS 39 Gripen would bring significant additional advantages to Ukraine. The most significant of these would be if Ukraine, in addition to the aircraft, were to have access to the European Meteor air combat missiles. These missiles cannot be fired from the types of aircraft Ukraine currently has.
Another advantage of the Gripen is its lower maintenance requirements. Gripens can operate from airfields in poor condition, while the F-16, for example, requires a good airfield. The Gripen's engine air intakes are located on the sides of the aircraft, so they are not as susceptible to debris being sucked into the engines as the F-16, which has an air intake underneath.