By Admin 
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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