President Zelenskyy and Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson have signed a deal which clears the way for Ukraine to acquire between 100 and 150 Saab Gripen fighter aircraft.
In a joint press conference held in front of a Gripen E aircraft at Saab’s facility in Linkoping, the two leaders announced the mutual signing of a defence cooperation agreement. One part of the agreement confirms Ukraine’s intent to modernise and expand its air force with potentially over 100 Saab Gripen multirole fighter aircraft. This would represent Sweden’s largest ever export order, and see the Ukrainian Air Force operate a similar number of the Swedish-designed and built aircraft to Sweden’s own air force.
No final decisions have yet been taken, with PM Kristersson estimating a timeframe of three years for the delivery of new-build airframes. Zelenskyy, given the urgent situation in his country, would like to see aircraft delivered from 2026 – which could signal the possibility of the transfer of legacy Gripen C/D airframes ahead of new Gripen E/F jets.
Ukrainian pilots have already test flown Gripen airframes in Sweden, beginning as far back as 2023.
Today, we are opening an entirely new and truly meaningful chapter in our relations—relations between Ukraine and Sweden, and more broadly, overall security relations in Europe.
Today, we have the first document signed between our countries, paving the way for Ukraine to acquire… pic.twitter.com/y23ouunOyY
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 22, 2025
The Gripen has long been suggested as a strong option for the rebuilding of Ukraine’s air force both during and post conflict. Specifically designed to correspond with Swedish doctrine of operating from makeshift forward operating locations, the jet has good short-field performance and comparatively simple maintenance requirements. The Gripen E/F, first delivered to the Swedish Air Force only days ago, builds on its predecessor with increased range and payload, new avionics, and a well regarded electronic warfare (EW) package.
I am proud to have welcomed President Zelenskyy to Sweden and Linköping.
Today we have signed an important Letter of Intent, marking a step towards a massive possible export deal regarding Gripen – likely between 100 and 150 fighter jets, to build a new and very strong… pic.twitter.com/ObUPKxdxfJ
— Ulf Kristersson (@SwedishPM) October 22, 2025
Speaking at the press conference, Kristersson said: “We fully realise it’s a long road ahead of us, but from today we are committed to exploring all the possibilities in providing Ukraine with a large amount of Gripen fighters in the future.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed his ambition to see the jets in service as soon as possible. “For our army, Gripens are a priority. It is about money, about manoeuvres,” he told gathered reporters. Through his official social media channels he added: “We consider the JAS 39 Gripen aircraft to be one of the most effective elements of this effort and count on the first deliveries of Gripens already in 2026.”
An important meeting with the @SwedishPM Ulf Kristersson. We greatly value our relations with Sweden and all forms of support for our people. And today, one of the key topics of our negotiations was strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities. We consider the JAS 39 Gripen… pic.twitter.com/iW5BxkSF6w
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 22, 2025
Among the details yet to be finalized is the funding for Ukraine’s order, which given the number of jets intended to be procured will represent a significant expense and one that Ukraine might struggle to find the funds for on its own with war still raging.
The Gripens will join F-16 Fighting Falcons and Dassault Mirage 2000s in Ukraine’s inventory as the country gradually moves away from a Soviet/Russian derived fleet, which can no longer be supported by their original manufacturers. The full order of 100 Gripens would represent a massive increase in Ukraine’s tactical air power even by numbers alone, with the most numerous type currently in service – the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29 – numbering only around 45 airframes in comparison.
However, with Saab’s current production capacity it will likely be some years before plans for a fleet of Gripens of that size can be realised.
