The performance and armament of the Gripen E, the excellent Swedish fighter that Ukraine wants

The Ukrainian Air Force could become one of the largest operators of an excellent European fighter in the coming years.

Dispersed operations, the advantage of the Swedish Gripen against an attack on its bases
The spectacular and flaming exhibition of a JAS-39C Gripen fighter of the Czech Air Force

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Sweden, where he met with the country's prime minister, centrist Ulf Kristersson. Zelensky announced: "Today, we have the first document signed between our countries, paving the way for Ukraine to acquire a substantial fleet of Swedish-made fighter jets—Gripens. These are great aircraft, strong aviation platforms capable of performing a wide range of missions. Everyone can see what threats they help counter. We expect that the future contract will enable us to obtain at least 100 of these jets." Zelenski ha añadido: "We consider the JAS 39 Gripen aircraft to be one of the most effective elements of this effort and count on the first deliveries of Gripens already in 2026."

In turn, Kristersson said: "I am proud to have welcomed President Zelenskyy to Sweden and Linköping. Today we have signed an important Letter of Intent, marking a step towards a massive possible export deal regarding Gripen - likely between 100 and 150 fighter jets, to build a new and very strong Ukrainian Air Force. President Zelensky also got a chance to see first hand the impressive capabilities of the Gripen fighter. This will strengthen both Ukraine, Sweden and Europe."

Although it is not a firm contract at the moment, this is the first step for Ukraine to receive an excellent European fighter of the so-called 4.5 generation, the same one to which combat aircraft such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Dassault Rafale and the KAI KF-21 Boramae belong.

During his visit to Sweden, Zelensky had the opportunity to see a Gripen from inside and also witness a flight demonstration of one of these fighters. The Saab JAS-39 Gripen made its maiden flight on December 9, 1988. Some 300 aircraft have been manufactured to date and are operated by the air forces of Sweden, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Brazil, South Africa, and Thailand.

The Gripen is a light fighter that has built on the experience Saab has accumulated over decades with its jet fighters, particularly the Draken and Viggen. Smaller than the Eurofighter and the Rafale (the Gripen C is 14.8 meters long and has a wingspan of 8.4 meters), the Gripen is a fighter specialized in dispersed operations, that is, operating from poorly prepared runways and even roads, making it difficult for the enemy to eliminate its bases.

Ukraine is expected to receive the Gripen E (single-seat) and Gripen F (two-seat conversion training) versions. The Gripen E program was approved by Sweden in 2013 and this version has already been purchased by both the Swedish Air Force and the Brazilian Air Force. The Gripen E has a unit price of 85 million dollars and is slightly larger than the Gripen C: it measures 15.2 meters long (15.9 meters in the two-seat version) and has an 8.6 meter wingspan.

The Gripen E is powered by a more powerful General Electric F414-GE-39E turbofan engine than the Gripen C, with 64 kN of dry thrust and 98 kN of afterburner thrust (compared to 54 kN and 80.5 kN, respectively, for the Gripen C). It has a top speed of 2,100 km/h (Mach 2), a range of 4,000 km, and a flight ceiling of 16,000 meters. Its takeoff distance is just 500 meters.

Regarding armament, the Gripen E carries a 27 mm Mauser BK27 cannon, with a rate of fire of between 1,000 and 1,700 rounds per minute. The fighter can also carry the IRIS-T, AIM-9 Sidewinder and A-Darter short-range air-to-air missiles and the AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range missiles, as well as AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II and GBU-39 SDB guided bombs and Mk-82 conventional bombs, all of which are already available for previous versions of the Gripen. In addition, the Gripen E can use the Meteor BVRAAM air-to-air missile with a range of 150 km, as well as SPEAR air-to-surface missiles (with a range of 140 km) and RBS-15ER anti-ship missiles (with a range of 200 km), and also the Taurus KEPD-35 cruise missile with a range of over 500 km.

The Gripen E is equipped with a Raven ES-05 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, instead of the pulse-Doppler radar found on previous versions of this fighter. This new radar allows it to detect objects at greater distances, at smaller sizes, and with less interference. In addition, the aircraft is equipped with the Saab Arexis Electronic Warfare (EW) suite, which combines the latest advances in self-protection and electronic attack. In short, the Gripen E is an excellent light fighter that far surpasses the technology of most Russian fighters, as well as being a very agile aircraft in low-altitude combat.

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Photos: Ulf Kristersson / Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Saab.