The oldest Gripens are of the same age group as the Finnish Hornets.
The Swedish government asks the Swedish Defense Forces to find out if Sweden can donate Swedish Jas Gripen fighters to Ukraine.
According to Swedish radio sources the government would have agreed to ask the defense forces for an explanation of the handover of the Gripens and how it would affect Sweden’s defense capability.
Ukraine has repeatedly requested fighter jets from the West. It has also requested Gripens from Sweden.
According to media reports, Poland and Slovakia donated Mig-29 machines in the spring.
Denmark and the Netherlands have decided to hand over F-16 fighters, and the training of pilots in Denmark and Romania has also been agreed. Norway also promises F-16 planes. Even during this year, Ukraine would not receive fighter jets.
Lindberg: Gripens are already old
In Sweden, it is estimated that the Gripens could fly in Ukraine next summer.
– In the schedule, the same legalities apply as for the F-16 planes. The volume of the F-16 is large, but there may be resource challenges in the number of Gripens, former commander of the Defense Forces, Member of Parliament Jarmo Lindberg (col.) says.
The F-16 is the most manufactured fighter in the world, so there are a lot of spare parts, for example, and training can be organized in several places.
According to Lindberg, it is possible for the Netherlands and Denmark to hand over the machines, as they are transitioning to F-35 users and still have airworthy old fighters.
Both the donors of the F-16 and Sweden need permission from the United States for their donation. The engines of the Gripens are from the United States.
According to Swedish Radio, Sweden plans to hand over 16–18 planes. Denmark has promised 19 fighters, the Netherlands has not said the number.
Lindberg estimates that the Gripens of the older model could perhaps come into question. The oldest ones are in the same age range as Finland’s current Hornets, which raises the question of the life cycle of the machines.
According to Reuters, the F-16 fighters to be donated are also about 40 years old.
The discussion on Finnish fighter jets came to an end
Finland is not going to hand over Hornets to Ukraine. This was confirmed by both the Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (collect.) that the president Sauli Niinistö most recently in August–September.
According to Niinistö, Ukraine has not asked Finland for airplanes, but it has asked Sweden for Gripens.
According to the Air Force, the Hornets’ materials are so tired from heavy use that the planes will be at the end of their flight life when Finland gets its new F-35 fighter.
In Finland, the discussion about handing over the Hornets was short and ended in a negative outcome. Previous Prime Minister Sanna Marin answered the Hornet question at a press conference when he visited Ukraine in the spring. Marin said that the matter can be discussed. There was a fuss about it, because Marin had not talked about it with the rest of the foreign policy leadership.
Sweden: first you have to join NATO
Before Ukraine can operate the machines, it must teach the trainees English and train pilots and mechanics to operate the Gripen. In addition to pilots, at least several times the number of ground personnel is needed. Lindberg reminds that for one flight hour, the plane needs to be serviced for 4–10 hours.
According to Swedish radio, Sweden has one more condition for handing over the planes: Sweden must be a NATO member in order to hand over its planes.