Saab signs firm order for 16 Gripen E fighters bound for Ukraine

Saab has signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for 16 new-build Gripen E fighters for Ukraine, the first firm order to come out of a framework that could eventually cover up to 150 aircraft.

Announced on June 30, 2026, the order is valued at approximately SEK 24.6 billion (around $2.5 billion) and will be booked in the third quarter of 2026, Saab said. Deliveries to FMV are scheduled for 2029 and 2030. Alongside the aircraft, the contract covers spare parts and associated equipment.

The contract was signed during a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swedish Minister for Defense Pål Jonson.

“Today, our countries signed an agreement for the procurement of 16 Gripen E fighter jets,” Zelenskyy said, adding that the aircraft would arrive with a package of related equipment, technical assistance, and support.

“I am deeply proud that Sweden and Saab can now enable the provision of Gripen E to Ukraine,” said Micael Johansson, president and CEO of Saab, who said the aircraft would strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and help the country protect its people.

The contract turns months of government-to-government talks into a binding industrial commitment. Sweden and Ukraine signed a letter of intent on October 22, 2025, covering the potential export of between 100 and 150 Gripen E aircraft, a total that would rank among the largest fighter export orders in Saab’s history. At a joint appearance in Uppsala on May 28, 2026, Swedish officials said Ukraine intended to acquire up to 20 Gripen E/F jets as a first step. The June 30 contract fixes that initial batch at 16.

Financing and an interim donation

(Credit: Saab)

Ukraine plans to fund the purchase with €2.5 billion drawn from the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan, the €90 billion facility finalized in April 2026. Running in parallel, Sweden has committed to donate 16 used Gripen C/D fighters from active Swedish Air Force inventory, with those deliveries expected to begin in early 2027. The older jets are meant to let Ukrainian pilots and ground crews build experience on the type before the new-build Gripen E arrives at the end of the decade.

Gripen E is powered by a General Electric F414 engine and fitted with an AESA radar and an upgraded electronic warfare suite. Built for dispersed operations from short runways and roads, it can be refueled and rearmed in around 10 minutes, a profile that suits Ukraine’s practice of shuttling aircraft between austere bases to complicate Russian targeting. The jet would add a further Western type to a fleet that already flies the F-16, alongside French Mirage 2000 fighters and a planned Rafale acquisition.The post Saab signs firm order for 16 Gripen E fighters bound for Ukraine appeared first on AeroTime.

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