On June 30, 2026, Kyiv and Stockholm finalized an agreement covering 16 newly built Saab Gripen E multirole fighters — the first slice of a long-term ambition Swedish officials have framed as up to 100–150 aircraft over the coming decade.
Why the Gripen
The Gripen E was built for exactly Ukraine’s problem set: it is designed to operate from dispersed road bases with a small ground crew, turns around fast, and carries the long-range Meteor BVR missile. Its low flight-hour cost makes a large fleet affordable in a way heavier 4.5- and 5th-generation jets are not.
A long runway ahead
Deliveries will be phased over years, with pilot and maintainer training first. Even so, a home-nation commitment to new-build Gripens — not hand-me-downs — reshapes Ukraine’s future fast-jet fleet around a Western type for the first time.