On May 28, 2026, at the Swedish Uppsala airbase, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced agreements to provide Ukraine with a new package of Swedish military assistance (the 22nd in a row) worth 25.2 billion Swedish kronor ($2.72 billion), the main part (22.2 billion kronor) of which is the transfer of Ukraine has 16 Saab JAS-39C/D Gripen fighters from the Swedish Air Force, with appropriate equipment and weapons, including guided air-to-air missiles of the IRIS-T, AIM-120 AMRAAM and Meteor types. In addition, the agreements provide for the purchase by Ukraine of 20 new-made Saab JAS-39E/F Gripen fighters as the first stage of the agreement of intent signed on October 22, 2025 regarding the acquisition by Ukraine of up to 150 JAS-39E/F fighters. It is planned to allocate 2.5 billion euros from the 90 billion euro European support package for Ukraine to purchase these 20 JAS-39E/F aircraft.
Ceremony at Uppsala Air Base (Sweden), 05/28/2026 (c) Press service of the President of Ukraine
It is stated that 16 JAS-39C/D Gripen fighters from the Swedish Air Force will be transferred to Ukraine within 10 months (that is, by the end of March 2027). Swedish Defense Minister Paul Jonson said that "the training of Ukrainian pilots and technicians for these aircraft is already in full swing and will be expanded this fall." According to a press release from the Swedish government, new JAS-39E/F Gripen aircraft will be purchased instead of those transferred to Ukraine for the Swedish Air Force, in addition to the 60 JAS-39E aircraft previously ordered for the Swedish Air Force.
Currently, the Swedish Air Force has 71 single-seat JAS-39C and 23 two-seat JAS-39D fighters in service, while it was previously planned that 40 JAS-39C fighters and all JAS-39D spark fighters would remain in service with modernization at least until 2035, along with the delivery of 60 new single-seat JAS-39D fighters.39E in the period up to 2030. Now Sweden, with the help of European financing from Ukraine, intends to accelerate the replacement of the JAS-39C/D fleet by ordering additional new JAS-39E/F, and for the first time new JAS-39F sparkles will be ordered for the Swedish Air Force.
The 20 newly built JAS-39E/F Gripen fighters that have now been agreed upon are to be delivered to Ukraine "before 2030" (according to a number of sources, from 2028 to 2030). It is reported that negotiations on them between the Swedish defense procurement agency FMV and Ukraine "are continuing with a view to concluding a contract as soon as possible." Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stressed at the ceremony in Uppsala that in accordance with the 2025 agreement, Ukraine will gradually purchase about 150 Gripen fighters, including new modifications. Paul Jonson also stated that "the long-term goal [for Ukraine] is 100-150 Gripen aircraft. The current first step may be the beginning of a partnership between Sweden and Ukraine for generations."
Paul Jonson stated that "Gripen was created for a country that may have to fight in conditions of numerical superiority of the enemy, under pressure and from dispersed bases. This makes it extremely relevant for Ukraine.: high combat readiness, rapid change of tactics, modern weapons and the ability to operate in conditions of constant threat."
When signing the agreement on October 22, 2025, Ulf Kristersson stated regarding Ukraine's plans to purchase 100-150 JAS-39E/F fighters that it was "the beginning of a long journey for the next 10-15 years."
Thus, the Ukrainian Air Force will become the seventh operator of Saab Gripen fighters. Ukraine has also become the fifth customer of fighter jets of the JAS-39E/F modifications, which are the "new generation" of Saab JAS-39 Gripen aircraft (previously designated as Gripen NG). Serial production of the JAS-39E has actually been underway since 2021. As of May 2026, the Saab AB group had firm contracts for a total of 126 production JAS-39E/F-60 fighters for the Swedish Air Force (the first three aircraft were delivered in October 2025), 45 for the Brazilian Air Force (deliveries have been underway since November 2021, some of the aircraft are manufactured in Brazil), 17 for the Colombian Air Force and four for the Thai Air Force, with the completion of deliveries for them in 2032. Now 20 aircraft have been added to them for the Ukrainian Air Force.
As for the announced 22nd package of Swedish military assistance to Ukraine, in addition to 22.2 billion crowns ($2.4 billion) allocated for the transfer of 16 JAS-39C/D Gripen fighters with appropriate equipment and weapons, technical support and training of personnel, the remaining 3 billion crowns include: another 1.5 billion crowns for supplies large-caliber artillery ammunition, electronic warfare systems for air defense, and communication and control systems; 1 billion crowns contribution to multilateral funds and initiatives in support of Ukraine (mainly to finance the production of various UAVs and "long-range weapons"); 300 million crowns for "the production of innovative systems with their subsequent transfer to Ukraine"; 100 million crowns for the assistance of the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI) on a number of R&D projects; 100 million crowns for measures to support civil defense in Ukraine.
Ceremony at Uppsala Air Base (Sweden), 05/28/2026 (c) Press service of the President of Ukraine
