Ukraine says Gripen fighter jets are among "expected" deliveries of Western aircraft

Swedish fighter jet JAS 39 Gripen

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant General Ivan Gavrilyuk stated that Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets are among the Western aircraft "expected" to strengthen the country's Air Force.

In an interview with the BBC, Gavrilyuk was asked whether Ukraine expected deliveries of F-16s, Mirage-2000s, and Gripens. "You've listed the right things, but I won't go into detail about what, when, and how," he replied. In response to further questions, he reiterated that additional deliveries of F-16s, Mirages, and Gripens were "expected," adding only: "When you see them in the air over Ukraine, then you'll understand."

This is the first time a high-ranking Ukrainian official has publicly included the Gripen on the list of aircraft arriving in Kyiv. However, Stockholm has not yet confirmed that the aircraft will be transferred. Earlier this month, Swedish Defense Minister Poul Jonsson stated that Sweden is only prepared to discuss the sale of Gripens after the war is over, which appears to contradict Gavrilyuk's statements.

Analysts suggest the deputy minister may have been hinting at future post-war agreements rather than immediate deliveries, leaving significant uncertainty about the timing and scale of any transfer of Gripen fighters.

Even if Sweden approves delivery, training and certification issues will remain significant. The F-16 program has already demonstrated that training pilots and ground crews for Western aviation Fourth-generation aircraft take many months to develop. The Gripen, although designed for ease of maintenance and operation, will still require a specialized training program. Without diverting pilots from the F-16 program, creating operational Gripen squadrons in the short term seems unlikely.

Logistics poses an even greater challenge: adding another aircraft type would make the Ukrainian Luftwaffe even more heterogeneous, as each aircraft would require its own supply chain and technical support. This isn't unprecedented, as countries like Greece, Egypt, and India operate several different types of fighter jets, but the task remains extremely challenging, especially for a country at war. Nevertheless, the Luftwaffe command considers the situation more or less acceptable, given Ukraine's ongoing need for additional forces.

A Swedish Gripen C and a Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4

The Swedish fighter has long been considered an ideal candidate for Ukraine due to its ability to conduct dispersed operations from roads and unprepared runways in isolated areas with minimal support. Despite its relatively light logistical load, the Saab multirole fighter is equipped with advanced electronic warfare systems, jam-resistant radars, and NATO-compatible weapons. Incidentally, it would be interesting to know whether the proposed "package" includes additional capabilities. missiles air-to-air missiles, such as the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile.

In 2023, Ukraine requested permission for pilots and technicians to conduct an operational evaluation of the Gripen as part of measures to strengthen the country's air defenses before a final decision on the F-16 was made. Sweden agreed and provided familiarization training for Ukrainian personnel on the Gripen. On September 14, 2023, Swedish Defense Minister Poul Jonsson announced in a written statement that Ukrainian pilots were authorized to conduct test flights of the Gripen.

"The orientation training has been completed and, according to the report I received from the Armed Forces, the training went well," he said in a statement at the time.

For now, the Gripen remains more of an "expected" capability than a confirmed one. Gavrilyuk's statements underscore Ukraine's desire to acquire additional modern fighter aircraft, including more of the Western fighter types already delivered, such as the F-16 and Mirage 2000. However, it remains unclear whether the Swedish aircraft will enter service during active combat.

A Swedish Gripen arrives in Malbork to join NATO's enhanced air policing mission.

Comments

[Sergey Khatylaev]

Without the Swedish AWACS, they won't be of much use. Even if they hand over the AWACS, at least we'll learn how to combat this system. It's NATO's most advanced.

[osp]

This is far from true – all NATO countries have a unified AWACS Component system, which is operated by all countries with AWACS aircraft. The main headquarters and base are in Germany.
Operational main airfields with all the necessary equipment for "large" AWACS aircraft are located in Norway, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Britain and France.
There is a complex system of combat duty and patrols on various NATO flanks.
But data can come to Ukraine from any aircraft of this system that is closest to it.
E-3 of various modifications - the Germans have E-3A, mixed crews from different NATO countries, out of 18 units only 10-11 remain in operation, they are 40 years old.
The British have about 4-5 E-3Ds in service, I think. The crews are all their own.
The French have 4 E-3Fs, with their own crews.

And the Swedish AWACS was born when Sweden was a neutral country and did not have access to the "club of the big ones".

[Dedok]

Without the Swedish AWACS they won't be of much use

So they were given two of them, in my opinion, last year...

[solar]

The Swedes gave two of their Avax systems to the Ukrainians last year.

[vadim dok]

Sweden has long supplied Ukraine with a SAAB 400 AWACS aircraft.

[Andrei Nikolaevich]

And Ukraine has been "expecting" everything and everyone its entire life. Eternal beggars. Ragulya's mentality...

[NIKN]

The only question is, who's going to fly them? When and where will pilots be retrained for such a hodgepodge of aircraft?

[bayard]

Quote: NIKNN

, who will fly on them?

Pilots from PMC.

[Sky strike fighter]

There's another danger, namely the threat from the Gripen-Meteor tandem. The graphs are linked. The graphs assume different flight levels and speeds of the carrier fighters at the time of missile launch.

. For all those military bloggers and observers who claim that there is no threat to the tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the event of deliveries of Swedish JAS-39C/D Gripen fighters with MBDA Meteor missiles to the Air Force, we are publishing some rather important graphs with the main flight and technical parameters of the AIM-120C-5 medium-range air-to-air missiles, as well as the Meteor (the latter are integrated into the JAS-39C/D Gripen fighters' control systems). The graphs provide for various flight levels and speeds of the carrier fighters at the time of missile launch. It can be noted that the presence of an integral rocket-ramjet engine in the Meteor missile with a depth control of the supply of solid propellant charge to the combustion chamber from 10:1 provides it with a much longer, flexibly adjustable active section of the trajectory and maintaining a flight speed of 4,2 M at a distance of up to 110+ km and an altitude of 20+ km from the point launch (when launched at an altitude of 10000 m). Then, gradual ballistic braking begins, reducing the speed to Mach 2 at a range of 160 km. The AIM-120C-5, under similar launch conditions, has an effective range of only 65-80 km.

Therefore, under standard launch conditions, the Meteor's air-to-air missile (ATGM) parameters are fully consistent with those of the domestic R-77M. If the Meteor's launch altitude exceeds 13500-15500 meters (which would require a JAS-39C pilot to achieve a dynamic climb), the missile's lower fuel consumption could increase its range to 230+ km, effectively matching the performance of our long-range asset, the R-37M. The PS-05/A onboard radars do not provide JAS-39C/D pilots with the ability to detect our fighters at such distances. However, this role could be assigned to Saab-340 AEW&C aircraft and their PS890 AESA radars, which would provide the targeting instructions to the active radar seekers of the Meteor missiles. Furthermore, launches could be carried out in HOJ mode, targeting the Khibiny electronic warfare systems.

https://t.me/RussianArms/19340

[bayard]

Under the conditions of the Air Defense Forces, Meteor launches from Greppen at high and maximum altitudes are unlikely; they would then be easily detected even by ground-based radars and would fall under attack from long-range air defense systems and our combat aircraft. But in any case, if the Sumerians acquire such fighters, it would create additional problems for us.

[dragon772]

Another new aerial target will appear for the Su-35.

[severok1979]

What difference does it make that they'll be based at airbases in Romania and Poland with a Ukrainian flag daubed on their sides - they've had more photo shoots than combat sorties anyway.

[Glagol1]

The first 39As are already 25-30 years old. They're not junk, of course, but they're soon to be decommissioned. And here's the trick—to fight for democracy one last time. They'll pose a threat primarily as cruise missile launch platforms. They'll fly up to the LBS, launch their missiles, and escape with afterburners.

[solar]

The Swedish fighter has long been considered an ideal candidate for Ukraine due to its ability to conduct dispersed operations from roads and unprepared runways.

Both the F-16 and Grippen can be operated from prepared sections of roads.

[Oleg Telpes]

Regarding training, the article clearly states that training will begin in 2023. So it's not such a problem.

[cradle]

Of course! They trained us on the Fu-16, too, but they didn't really teach us enough.

[cradle]

And did they prepare some LёtchikIv for themselves? And plastic bags for them, if they need them?

[Panadol]

Fellow pilots, don't be too harsh. But this Grippen is somehow unsightly. Not handsome, if I may say so.
And as comrade Tupolev once said: - only a beautiful airplane can fly well!

[garik77]

I wonder who's paying for the banquet? I don't think Sweden is ready to invest tens of billions like that. It's a small country; they might give away five or ten, but nothing more.