Sweden to Donate 16 Gripen Jets and Sell Up to 22 More

A major fighter jet package

Sweden announced on May 28 that it will transfer 16 JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter jets to Ukraine free of charge and plans to sell up to 22 additional Gripen E aircraft. The package represents one of the more substantial air power commitments to Kyiv in recent months, combining an outright donation with a larger commercial sale.

The agreement was unveiled at a joint briefing by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and President Volodymyr Zelensky at Uppsala Air Base. The setting underscored the bilateral nature of the deal between Stockholm and Kyiv.

Weapons and timeline

The donation includes advanced ammunition, potentially the IRIS-T, AMRAAM and long-range METEOR air-to-air missiles. The 16 donated aircraft are to be delivered in early 2027, putting older C/D models in Ukrainian hands first.

For the more modern jets, Kyiv plans to allocate 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) from the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan toward the purchase of the newer Gripen E aircraft.

Significance for the war

The deal strengthens Ukraine's air force at a critical stage of its war with Russia, layering older C/D models for sooner delivery alongside newer E-variant jets acquired through sale. The structure aims to deliver capability quickly while building toward a more modern fleet.

The mix of an immediate donation and a longer-term commercial purchase signals a sustained Swedish commitment to Ukraine's defense, a development followed closely across Europe and beyond.