Overview
- The governments formalized the deal on June 30, 2026, and Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) contracted Saab to build 16 Gripen E fighters for Ukraine under a roughly SEK 24.6 billion (about $2.5 billion) order.
- Ukraine plans to allocate approximately €2.5 billion from the EU’s Ukraine Support Loan to pay for the purchase, with the United Kingdom committed to manufacture key components and support industrial work on the program.
- Sweden will donate 16 used Gripen C/D jets as military assistance, with those aircraft scheduled to begin arriving in early 2027 to give Ukraine near‑term combat capability and hands‑on experience with the type.
- The contract includes spare parts, technical assistance, logistics support, and weapons integration, and Ukrainian pilots and technicians are already training in Sweden ahead of new aircraft deliveries that start in early 2029.
- The package is designed to standardize Ukraine’s NATO‑compatible fighter fleet and exploit the Gripen’s strengths for dispersed operations from short or improvised runways, a capability that could raise sortie rates and make air assets less vulnerable to strikes.