Schwedischer Verteidigungsminister Pål Jonson (X-Postings):
The Gripens are coming.
Russia tried to break Ukraine from the skies. Ukraine is now building air power with Swedish fighters: buying up to 20 Gripen E/F for its future air force, while Sweden will donate 16 Gripen C/D. A new chapter for Ukraine’s air defence. (1/8)
Training of Ukrainian pilots and technicians is already underway and will expand this autumn. Gripen C/D can be delivered with weapons such as IRIS-T, AMRAAM and the long-range Meteor missile. This is about aircraft, weapons, skills and sustainment. (2/8)
Ukraine is not just receiving aircraft. Ukraine is building a modern air force able to fight, survive and adapt under the hardest conditions in Europe. Gripen C/D answers urgent needs. Gripen E/F builds the future. Together, they create momentum. (3/8)
Gripen was built for a country that may have to fight outnumbered, under pressure and from dispersed bases. That makes it highly relevant for Ukraine: high readiness, rapid turnaround, modern weapons and the ability to operate under constant threat. (4/8)
Ukraine intends to finance the purchase of Gripen E/F with EUR 2.5 billion from its EU loan. The long-term ambition is 100–150 Gripen aircraft. This first step can become a generational partnership between Sweden and Ukraine. (5/8)
When the necessary decisions and permits are in place, deliveries of Gripen C/D to Ukraine are planned to begin early next year. The aim is clear: strengthen Ukraine faster now, and build a modern air force for the decades ahead. (6/8)
This is part of Sweden’s 22nd military support package to Ukraine, worth approximately EUR 2.3 billion. With this package, Sweden’s total military support since Russia’s full-scale invasion reaches approximately EUR 11.8 billion. (7/8)
A stronger Ukrainian air force makes Ukraine safer, Europe stronger and Russia’s room for aggression smaller. The European country that knows most about the demands of this war has chosen Swedish Gripen. (8/8)
