Summary and 4 Points You Need to Know: Sweden, NATO's newest member, may be preparing for a future transfer of its Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, having stockpiled $221 million in parts and spares for the aircraft.

-Though a transfer is currently off the table, Swedish officials have left open the possibility of future donations.

-The Gripen is seen by many experts as better suited to Ukraine's needs than the F-16 due to its ability to operate from austere locations and its low maintenance requirements.

-The Swedish Air Force maintains 96 Gripens, but not all are combat-ready.

Stockholm Leaves Door Open for JAS 39 Gripen Fighter Transfers to Ukraine

The newest member of NATO has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, but it hasn't gone so far as to actually supply combat aircraft and has even publicly dismissed the idea. Yet, it now appears that Sweden could be preparing for a future transfer of its Saab JAS 39 Gripen all-weather multirole fighters to Kyiv – at least by stockpiling parts and spares that would be necessary to keep the aircraft in service.

According to a report from the Kyiv Independent, Stockholm has been gathering approximately $221 million in parts for the Gripen, signaling a possible future transfer.

"By acquiring new materiel parts, a number of JAS 39C/D will be saved from being dismantled and can – if the Swedish government decides to – be considered for a possible future donation to Ukraine," the Swedish Ministry of Defense said in a statement while announcing a $443 million aid package to Kyiv.

However, the ministry added that any transfer of the Gripen is off the table for now, as "it would interfere with the prioritized introduction of F-16 fighters." Earlier this summer, the first of the U.S.-made F-16 Fighting Falcons began to arrive in Ukraine – and Kyiv is on track to receive upwards of ninety of the second-hand fighters from multiple NATO members including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway.

The Swedish Air Force is reported to maintain a fleet of ninety-six JAS 39 Gripens, but according to Lieutenant Colonel Stefan Wilson, a former Swedish Air Force pilot and instructor at the Swedish Defense University, not all of the aircraft are combat-ready.

He further suggested that Gripens might not be a true game-changer and their effectiveness would depend entirely on the ordnance that is supplied by the West.

Better Than the F-16

Aviation experts have also suggested that the Gripen would be better suited to service in Ukraine than the F-16. The supersonic, multi-role fighter jet is capable of air combat and air-to-ground operations, while it can operate from austere facilities, including remote roads turned into temporary runways. It can also carry a variety of advanced munitions. 

The Gripen – which remains the newest NATO member's premier multirole fighter – is equipped with reinforced landing gear that positions the airframe high above the ground to prevent any debris from being sucked into the jet engine's air intake. The JAS 39 was also developed with low maintenance requirements.

"If airbases, airports or auxiliary landing strips are damaged or otherwise unavailable, the JAS 39 Gripen fighters can land on roads that have been deliberately engineered to accommodate landings by fighter jets. Once on the ground, the Gripens make use of a mobile forward arming and refuelling point (FARP), gassing up in a matter of minutes before taking off again," the report from DVIDS noted.

And it was also last month that one nation saw the advantages of the Gripen over the Fighting Falcon. The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) announced in late August that it had selected the Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen E/F to replace its aging fleet of F-16A/B Fighting Falcons following a 10-month evaluation process.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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