On Thursday, May 28, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid a working visit to Sweden, during which Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that the government in Stockholm had approved the donation of 16 used JAS 39C/D Gripen multirole aircraft to Ukraine as part of the 22nd military aid package, worth approximately 2.3 billion EUR, as well as the sale of 20 brand-new JAS 39E Gripen aircraft manufactured by Saab Defence and Security, financed from EU loan funds.
Photo: Pål Jonson
The decision was announced during a visit by the two politicians to Ärna Air Base, located in the northwestern part of Uppsala County.
The first 16 older Gripen C/D aircraft will come from the inventory of the Swedish Air Force (Svenska flygvapnet), which will gradually withdraw them from service. There are currently 71 aircraft in service out of the 204 originally purchased. The next 20 latest Gripen E aircraft will be built from scratch by Saab under a contract worth 2.5 billion EUR, to be financed from the 90 billion EUR, financial support package for Ukraine approved by the European Commission on April 23 this year.
Training of Ukrainian pilots and ground-support technicians has already begun and will be expanded this autumn. The Gripens will be armed with AIM-2000 IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles, AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range missiles, and MBDA Meteor long-range missiles.
It should be recalled that on October 22, 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Saab’s facilities in Linköping, where, during a meeting with Ulf Kristersson, a Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed on deepening cooperation in the fields of air forces and the aviation industry over a 10–15-year horizon, as well as on the possibility of Ukraine purchasing 100 to 150 JAS 39E Gripen aircraft.
Welcome to Sweden, President @ZelenskyyUA 🇸🇪🤝🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/hiwXbdSQjA
— Ulf Kristersson (@SwedishPM) May 28, 2026
You can do a lot with Gripen fighter jets.
But they’re built for one thing.
Good luck, Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/iGE8RvDTj5
— Ulf Kristersson (@SwedishPM) May 28, 2026
Вдячний усім парламентарям, які так оперативно ратифікували угоду з Євросоюзом про підтримку обсягом 90 мільярдів євро для України на два роки. Ці кошти посилять нашу стійкість і допоможуть захищати життя наших людей, відновлювати зруйноване після російських ударів та обороняти…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 28, 2026
Сьогодні з робочим візитом у Швеції. Готуємо великий оборонний пакет для України та сильний крок щодо винищувачів Gripen, який точно зробить нашу бойову авіацію ефективнішою. Сьогодні заплановані зустрічі з Прем’єр-міністром Ульфом Крістерссоном, також у форматі делегацій будуть…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 28, 2026
🇸🇪🇺🇦 The Gripens are coming.
Russia tried to break Ukraine from the skies. Ukraine is now building air power with Swedish fighters: buying up to 20 Gripen E/F for its future air force, while Sweden will donate 16 Gripen C/D.
A new chapter for Ukraine’s air defence. (1/8) pic.twitter.com/HV3eeIZ6sV
— Pål Jonson (@PlJonson) May 28, 2026
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