Overview
- Sweden has agreed to send JAS 39 Gripen fighters and Swedish naval vessels to Finland at Helsinki’s request under a 2020 law that lets Stockholm place forces in Finland when Sweden is not at war.
- Swedish defence minister Pål Jonson and Finnish defence minister Antti Häkkänen confirmed the operation will be coordinated with NATO but would not disclose numbers, bases, start date or the mission’s duration.
- The request for support follows a run of 2026 airspace and drone incidents in Finland, including a Finnish ministry claim that a Russian Il-20 entered Finnish airspace and earlier drone warnings that disrupted airport operations.
- Swedish Gripen jets bring recent NATO mission experience from deployments to Malbork in 2025 and Keflavik in early 2026, which officials say could help integrate the patrols with Finnish air policing.
- Officials say Swedish Army counter-drone units could deploy in the autumn if needed and the move is likely to increase patrol frequency near the Finnish–Russian border and signal a deeper NATO-aligned presence on the eastern flank.