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Ukraine signs deal to buy 16 Gripen E jets from Sweden for $2.54 billion

Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister and Sweden's FMV Director General signed a SEK 24.6 billion contract for 16 Gripen E multirole fighters financed via EU loans, with deliveries starting early 2029; Sweden separately donates 16 Gripen C/D jets as military assistance from 2027

Defence· active Whose Money·The Long Game ·8 takes · ·rbtfl upd Jul 1, 2026

Summary

Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Serhiy Boyev and Swedish Defence Materiel Administration Director General Mikael Granholm signed a contract June 30 for 16 Gripen E multirole fighter jets, priced at approximately SEK 24.6 billion (roughly $2.54 billion). The purchase is financed via European Union loans with UK-backed sovereign guarantees. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in early 2029. Separately, Sweden confirmed it will donate 16 Gripen C/D variants as direct military assistance, with those aircraft arriving earlier, from early 2027. Volodymyr Zelenskyy framed the deal as a strategic air-defense upgrade that complements existing F-16 deliveries already under way from other partners.

The split

Ukraine and Sweden present the deal as a decisive step toward restoring Ukrainian air power at scale. Pro-Kremlin outlets have not acknowledged the signing. Western defense analysts note that the Gripen E's electronic-warfare suite and shorter airstrip requirements suit Ukraine's dispersed-basing doctrine; some flag that 2029 deliveries arrive late relative to the current conflict timeline, and that Swedish industrial capacity for spare parts and training pipelines remains the practical bottleneck.

By the numbers

  • SEK 24.6 billion (~$2.54 billion), purchase price for 16 Gripen E jets
  • 16 additional Gripen C/D aircraft, donated as military assistance
  • Early 2029, target date for first Gripen E deliveries
  • Early 2027, target for Gripen C/D military-assistance arrival
  • EU loan financing with UK sovereign guarantees

Why it matters

The Gripen contract is Ukraine's largest single aviation procurement since the war began and the first commercial purchase (as opposed to donation) of Western fighter jets by Kyiv. It sets a precedent for post-war fleet rebuilding financed through European institutions, and gives Saab a major wartime customer that will shape future Gripen sales in Central and Eastern Europe.

What to watch

  • Swedish parliament approval of guarantees and timing of first tranche disbursement
  • Whether additional Gripen E units are negotiated once deliveries begin
  • F-16 integration experience in 2027, which will determine pilot-training sequencing for the Gripen fleet
  • Russian targeting of Swedish defense contacts or Saab supply chains in response