Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Sweden on Sunday (17 May). During this, the PM’s plane was escorted by Swedish fighter jets Gripen. As soon as his plane reached the border of Sweden, Swedish Air Force fighter planes gave him special protection. Earlier, a similar scene was seen upon reaching UAE, where F16 jet aircraft escorted PM Modi’s plane. Let us know how the Gripen fighter jets of Sweden that escorted PM Modi are cheaper than Rafale and what is their specialty.

Gripen cheaper than Rafale

Sweden’s Gripen is cheaper than France’s Rafale. Rafale is a heavy twin engine aircraft. At the same time, Gripen is a single engine lightweight aircraft. The most special thing about Gripen is that it does not require a military airbase for take off like Rafale, it is adept in taking off and landing from highways to roads.

According to the report of CNN-News 18, the cost of flying Rafale for one hour is at least more than $ 14,000 (about Rs 11.6 lakh). In comparison, the cost of one hour flight of Gripen is only between $4,000 to $10,000 (approximately Rs 3.3 to 8.3 lakh). This means that Gripen is very easy to maintain.

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The estimated base price per aircraft of the Saab Gripen is $85 million to $100 million, while that of the Rafale is between $115 million to $130 million. Apart from this, Gripen is also cheaper in terms of full package deal price per aircraft. Its price is between $140 million to $220 million. At the same time, it sits between $200 million to $245 million.

What is special about Gripen?

Rafale runs on two engines, which means that even if one engine gets damaged during a war, the other engine can save the aircraft. It can lift 9.5 tons of weapons. On the other hand, Gripen is smaller in size, but its speed is faster than Rafale. Sweden claims that any indigenous weapon or software can be added to it without any restriction. It does not need any big airbase; During wartime, by landing it on any common highway, the team can load it with fuel and weapons and fly it again in just 10 minutes.

IN DETAIL: What is the Rafale deal and what are the features of this fighter plane?

PM Narendra Modi Sweden Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Sweden on Sunday evening in the third leg of his five-nation tour. When Prime Minister Modi’s plane entered Sweden’s airspace after his visit to Netherlands, Swedish Gripen fighter planes escorted his plane. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson himself warmly welcomed Prime Minister Modi on his arrival at Gothenburg Airport.

During his two-day visit to Sweden, Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral talks with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson. The two leaders will review all major aspects of relations between India and Sweden. There will also be discussions between the two countries on trade, green change, artificial intelligence, new technology, startups, strong supply chains, defence, space, climate change and strengthening people-to-people ties.

Will address the European Industry Forum

Prime Minister Modi and the Prime Minister of Sweden will also jointly address the European Round Table for Industry. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also be present in this program. This platform is considered to be the main trading platform of big industrial groups of Europe.

VIDEO | Gothenburg, Sweden: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Gothenburg and receives a warm welcome from Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the airport.

(Source: Third Party)

(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/0EoS9p6nEH

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 17, 2026

Before leaving for Sweden, Netherlands Prime Minister Rob Jetten himself reached Amsterdam Airport and bid farewell to Prime Minister Modi. During his two-day visit to Netherlands, Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks with his Dutch counterpart. During this period, 17 agreements were signed between the two countries to increase cooperation in defence, important minerals and other key areas. Both leaders also expressed concern about the situation in West Asia and its impact on global energy supplies and trade networks.

Prime Minister Modi said – relations between India and Netherlands got new momentum

Prime Minister Modi said in a social media post that his visit to Netherlands has given new strength to the relations between the two countries. He said that both the countries have prepared an ambitious roadmap for the future in areas like water resources, semiconductor, innovation, defence, sustainability and mobility, while enhancing the relationship to a strategic partnership. Prime Minister Modi expressed confidence that the friendship between India and Netherlands will become stronger in the coming years. He also thanked Prime Minister Rob Jetton for the warm welcome and farewell at the airport.

Also visited Afsaloutdike Dam

Prime Minister Modi also visited the famous Afslootdike Dam along with his Dutch counterpart. During this, both the countries discussed the possibilities of increasing cooperation in water management and climate-friendly infrastructure. This journey is also considered important for the ambitious Kalpsar project of Gujarat. Under this project, there is a plan to create a huge freshwater reservoir by building a dam about 30 kilometers long on the Gulf of Khambhat.

Dutch companies invited to invest in India

Prime Minister Modi and his Dutch counterpart also interacted with CEOs of major Dutch companies in the energy, ports, health, agriculture, trade and technology sectors. Prime Minister Modi invited Dutch companies to explore investment and cooperation opportunities in India in maritime infrastructure, renewable energy, digital technology, semiconductor, artificial intelligence and health sectors. Prime Minister Modi reached The Hague on Friday on a two-day visit after completing his visit to the United Arab Emirates.

PM Modi in Sweden: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently on a tour of four countries in Europe. After completing the tour of Netherlands, Prime Minister Modi reached Gothenburg, Sweden on Sunday (17 May 2026). During this time he was welcomed. Sweden has honored PM Modi with its highest civilian honour.

During this, PM Modi said that in view of our increasing cooperation in every field, we have decided to tie our relations in the form of strategic partner. Under this partnership, we will move forward on key pillars like green transition, defense sector, emerging technology and people-to-people ties.

While in Gothenburg, Sweden’s PM Ulf Kristersson attended a joint press conference with PM Narendra Modi. He said that today about 300 Swedish companies are working in India. Many of these have their own production capabilities. This relationship is continuously getting stronger. Indian companies are also investing more and more in Sweden. The Prime Minister will remain in Sweden for the next two days.

PM Narendra Modi reached Sweden under the security cover of fighter plane
PM Modi’s plane entered Sweden’s airspace, just as Gripen fighter planes of the Swedish Air Force accompanied his plane. These aircraft brought PM Modi’s plane along with it to Gothenburg Airport, providing security cover. In this way, providing security to the Prime Minister of any country shows how much importance the host country gives to that leader. On reaching Sweden, PM Ulf Christerson himself reached the airport to welcome Modi.

Also read: PM Modi honored with Sweden’s highest honour, receives 31st Global Award

Sweden honored PM Modi with its biggest honour.

Apart from this, in Sweden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been honored with the Royal Order of Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross, one of the biggest honors of his country. This honor is the highest honor given to the head of government of any country.

What conversation took place between the Prime Ministers of the two countries?

There was a face-to-face conversation between PM Modi and Sweden’s PM Christerson on Sunday. In this conversation, emphasis was laid on further strengthening the relations between the two countries. There were talks between the two countries especially regarding business and investment. Business between the two countries is expected to reach $7.75 billion by 2025. Apart from this, there was discussion about working together on energy that does not harm the environment, solar energy and wind energy. Apart from this, both the countries want to work on AI and new technology in the field of technology. There was discussion between the two countries on promoting startups, young entrepreneurs and new businesses. There was also discussion about the changing climate.

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The Indian Air Force is constantly busy strengthening and advancing its fleet. Meanwhile, Sweden’s fighter aircraft company Saab has made the biggest offer of its Gripen fighter jet in the world to the Indian government. Under this, a proposal was made to establish the world’s most advanced aerospace industry in India, which includes multi-stage design, production and maintenance as well as induction of fighter jet Gripen-E.

Gripen most advanced fighter jet system: SAAB

SAAB had earlier also proposed Gripen fighter jet to India with technology transfer, but the Indian Air Force expressed confidence in Rafale. Mikael Franzen, Chief Marketing Officer of Gripen and Vice President of Business Area Aeronautics at SAAB, said at the Singapore Airshow, ‘Gripen E is the most advanced and cost-effective fighter jet system available in the world. It will further enhance the strength of the Indian Air Force with the world’s best sensor fusion, networking capabilities and rapidly growing Artificial Intelligence (AI) features.

Speaking to news agency PTI, SAAB Vice President Mikael Franzen said, ‘Gripen will fit perfectly into the Indian Air Force along with Rafale and Tejas. There is a plan to not only rapidly manufacture fighter jets in Sweden and India, but along with it an ecosystem of Indian companies will also be developed. With this, a regional industrial center will also be created for exports.

Features of Gripen fighter jet

Talking about the capability of SAAB Gripen, it has been designed to operate even on the highway. Its maintenance is less. This fighter jet has a unique hardware-independent architecture, which allows rapid software updates without re-certifying flight-critical systems. Keeping in mind that India can develop software itself, Sweden has given this offer to India. India’s missiles, bombs or other weapons can be integrated into this fighter jet as per requirement without the help of the company.

Where does Gripen fighter jet stand compared to Rafale?

SAAB Gripen fighter jet cannot compete with Rafale in deep strike and carrier operations. Rafale F4 has two engines, while Gripen is a single engine fighter jet. Rafale has 14 hardpoints and 9500 kg payload capacity, whereas Gripen has only 10 hardpoints and 7200 kg payload capacity. Talking about speed, the speed of Rafale is Mach 1.8 and the speed of Gripen is Mach 2.0. Both have supercruise capability.

Amidst the ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine has taken an important initiative towards hi-teching its air force. Ukraine has signed a deal with Sweden to replace old fighter planes. Under this, he will buy 150 Saab Gripen fighter jets. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christerson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this agreement on October 22 at a press conference held in Linköping, Sweden.

According to the Swedish government, the number of units supplied to Ukraine may be between 100 and 150. Christerson said the deal is a step toward a larger potential export deal related to the Gripen. Zelensky has described the acquisition of Gripen as a top priority for Ukraine’s defense strategy. He has stressed the need to replace old Soviet aircraft and incorporate modern Western platforms.

has been used in war

According to Swedish media, the Gripen was used in direct combat for the first time this year, when Thailand deployed the fighter planes in the conflict with Cambodia. Earlier, the Gripen has been used mainly for air policing and was deployed in Poland as part of the NATO mission to patrol the airspace of allied countries in 2025.

Sweden’s Gripen competes with Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 and F-16 and Dassault Aviation have exported Rafale and Eurofighter to South Africa, Thailand, Brazil, Czech Republic and Hungary, while Colombia has also decided to buy Gripen. This aircraft has been in service since 1996. The first aircraft of its latest version, the Gripen E, was delivered to the Swedish Air Force in October. In total, more than 280 Gripens have been manufactured so far.

What is the specialty of Gripen fighter jet?

Saab Gripen E is a high-tech multirole fighter jet. It has been developed by Swedish aerospace company Saab. It is known as a fourth-generation lightweight, single-engine supersonic jet, capable of aerial combat, bombing and reconnaissance missions. The Gripen E is described as a ‘smart fighter’, providing a powerful combination of mobility, low cost, high availability and advanced sensor fusion technology required for modern warfare.

Gripen E performance

Its maximum speed is Mach 2 (about 2,400 km/h). It has 10 hardpoints (weapon and external tank emplacements), giving it the capability to carry a variety of air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons. It is capable of taking off even from rough or temporary runways. It has increased fuel capacity, giving it a maximum range of around 4,000 km.

What weapons can be deployed?

It can carry a variety of advanced weapons, including Meteor Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missiles. IRIS-T short-range infrared guided missile. Laser-guided and other precision guided bombs. Anti-ship missiles. It is also equipped with 27mm Mauser BK-27 cannon.

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