The two countries also signed a declaration on deepening defence cooperation. The aircraft represent the largest single component of a Swedish aid package exceeding 2 billion.
Sweden officially announces transfer of 16 Gripen JAS 39C/D fighter jets to Ukraine by 2027, and sale of 22 Gripen JAS 39E aircraft by 2030, during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Stockholm on 28 May, according to Ukrainian and Swedish officials.
At a military base in Uppsala the two countries also signed a declaration on deepening defence cooperation. The aircraft represent the largest single component of a Swedish aid package exceeding 2 billion.
The Swedish Prime Minister emphasized that Ukraine's air defense needs reinforcement, and that his country is transferring the Gripens for Ukraine's long-term protection.
"Ukraine has very clearly identified the Gripen as its choice and priority for long-term air defense. Ukraine would like to acquire the latest model — the Gripen E/F. Ukraine will purchase 22 Gripen E-series aircraft. Negotiations are ongoing, and we will conclude them and be able to deliver these aircraft by 2030," said Kristersson.
He also noted that Sweden will transfer 16 Gripen C/D aircraft to Ukraine from its own stockpiles in early 2027.
Zelensky said Sweden is providing a support package for the defense of cities worth $2.7 billion — of which $2 billion will go toward aircraft and nearly $400 million toward drone production.
"We expect to receive the first capabilities, the first Gripens, within the next ten months. We will do everything on our end. I think we will receive the first Gripens with our Ukrainian pilots in December or January," he said.
According to the President, Ukraine will receive the aircraft with a full weapons package, which will help defend against Russian guided aerial bombs.
What Is the Gripen E
Developed in the 1980s by a Swedish consortium including Saab and Volvo, the JAS 39 was built to combine the roles of reconnaissance aircraft, bomber, and fighter in a single airframe — and to operate without fixed airbase infrastructure. According to Militarnyi analyst Kushnikov: "The Swedes lived under the conditions of the Cold War and proximity to the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries. Understanding that fixed ground infrastructure could be struck quite quickly, they built a doctrine of dispersal and maximum survival of their forces under those conditions. [Gripens] can successfully take off from motorways, be quickly prepared for a sortie, equipped without hangar infrastructure, and deployed on tasks straight off the wheels."
The Gripen E — the variant Ukraine intends to acquire — features a new active electronically scanned array radar, an updated electronic warfare suite, a more powerful American-made engine, a cannon, and additional weapons hardpoints. Fewer than 15 have been produced to date, with roughly eight operated by Brazil and three by Sweden in a test configuration. Kushnikov placed it alongside the F-16 Block 70, Eurofighter Typhoon, and Dassault Rafale as a peer-class aircraft.
Scale of the Order
The potential 150-aircraft order — for which Ukraine signed a letter of intent in October 2025 — could become the largest single order in Saab's history and the largest arms purchase ever made by Ukraine, which would make it the world's second-largest Gripen operator by fleet size. Sweden itself is waiting on 60 jets; Brazil has ordered more than 100.
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Saab currently produces between 20 and 30 Gripen E aircraft per year, according to Militarnyi. Analyst Vadym Kushnikov estimates Ukraine will not receive all aircraft before 2030 under an optimistic scenario. Professor Andrii Kharuk of the National Academy of Ground Forces suggested the first batch may arrive in the older Gripen C/D configuration, given the high cost of modifying already-produced airframes to the E standard.
Why Ukraine Chose the Gripen
Three factors drove the selection.
Fleet unification. A single Gripen type can replace five distinct Soviet platforms currently in service: the Su-24M bomber, Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft, Su-25 ground-attack jet, and the Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters. Ukraine's Air Force Vision for Development to 2035, published in 2020, had already named the JAS-39E/F Gripen or F-16 Block 70/72 as its target platform.
Cost and survivability. At approximately $10,000 per flight hour — versus roughly $30,000 for the F-16, according to Kushnikov — the Gripen is the cheapest aircraft in its class to operate. In conditions of repeated Russian strikes on Ukrainian airfields, its ability to operate from highways and without hangar infrastructure is a concrete tactical advantage.
Weapons compatibility. The Gripen can fire Swedish-made air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions, the RBS-15 anti-ship missile, and American weapons already in Ukrainian service: AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, GBU-39 small-diameter bombs, and JDAM precision-guided kits. Kushnikov highlighted the Meteor missile in particular: "This is currently one of the few solutions in the arsenal of Western countries that can effectively strike enemy targets at distances of over 200 kilometres." Professor Kharuk also noted the Mauser cannon's potential for use against Shahed drones, adding that deploying Gripens against the launch platforms for Russian glide bombs would be even more impactful, as it could push those aircraft away from Ukrainian airspace.
Limitations
The Gripen has only five operators outside Sweden, compared with 30 for the F-16, limiting the accumulated experience base. The type has not been used in direct combat: Sweden's eight jets deployed to Libya in 2011 flew 650 sorties exclusively for air policing. Czech and Hungarian aircraft perform similar NATO policing missions. Kharuk concluded: "In all likelihood, these aircraft will undergo their real combat testing in the skies over Ukraine."
