Ukraine signs agreement with Sweden to purchase 16 Gripen E fighter jets

Ukraine and Sweden signed an agreement on June 30 to purchase 16 Saab JAS 39 Gripen E fighter jets, with additional equipment, maintenance, and support included. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the deal on X, saying that under prior agreements with Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson, the first 16 Gripen C/D aircraft would transfer to Ukraine’s Air Force at the beginning of 2027. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov clarified that the jets will be funded using Euroloan funds and supported by the UK. Deliveries of the Gripen E are scheduled to begin in early 2029. Zelenskyy also discussed defense cooperation with Sweden’s Defense Minister Pål Jonson, including work under the “Drone Deal” framework and joint anti-ballistic solutions. The article places this in context of earlier reports in February and a 2025 letter of intent involving Meteor missile deliveries.