【By Observer Net, Mountain Cat】

On October 22 local time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Linköping, a city in southern Sweden, for a visit. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson met with Zelenskyy and visited Saab, a company located there. After the meeting, both held a press conference and publicly announced matters related to defense exports.

Zelenskyy and Kristersson talk during the "Gripen" flight display. Swedish government website

A statement from the official website of the Swedish government said that both sides have signed a letter of intent regarding cooperation in the air force field. The main content of this letter includes: both sides recognize the urgency of further developing the air force strength and enhancing national resilience in Ukraine for European security considerations, and Sweden is willing to share advanced fighter jet system technology and experience with Ukraine; among the five points of consensus reached by both sides, the first point clearly states that both sides are willing to hold regular consultations on cooperation in the field of advanced air capabilities, especially cooperation on the JAS-39 "Gripen" fighter jet system.

Zelenskyy and Kristersson sign an agreement on air force cooperation in front of a JAS-39E "Gripen" fighter jet. Zelenskyy's personal social media account

Kristersson stated that this important letter of intent marks a major step forward for Ukraine toward a large-scale military sales agreement on the "Gripen" fighter jets. This potential military sale could involve up to 100 to 150 aircraft, used to build a "new and very strong Ukrainian air force." Therefore, Zelenskyy also had the opportunity to witness the powerful performance of the "Gripen" fighter jet, which will enhance the strength of Ukraine, Sweden, and the entire Europe. Sweden not only has the experience of developing and using advanced weapons such as the "Gripen" fighter jet, but Ukraine's unique air combat and air defense experience can also be learned by Sweden.

Both hold a press conference after the meeting. Kristersson's personal social media account

The letter of intent also mentions that the document currently reflects only the political will of both sides to strengthen cooperation dialogue, and it does not yet involve any legally or financially binding obligations. However, Ukraine has already started preparing for the arrival of the "Gripen" fighter jets. Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine plans to start receiving and using the "Gripen" fighter jets as early as 2026. Kristersson said that if it is new-produced JAS-39E/F aircraft, it might take up to three years to deliver. Although it has not been decided yet whether to provide older second-hand "Gripen" fighter jets to Ukraine, this possibility is not ruled out.

As early as June 2023, the Swedish government had announced that it planned to provide training on operating and maintaining the "Gripen" fighter jets for the Ukrainian Air Force to respond to Ukraine's desire to evaluate the aircraft. This was one of the earliest official messages about providing the "Gripen" fighter jets to Ukraine since the full-scale outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In addition, it has been confirmed that Ukrainian pilots have been in contact with and tested the JAS-39C/D aircraft in Sweden since 2023. As the Ukrainian Air Force begins to receive a batch of US-made F-16 and French Mirage 2000 aircraft, the popularity of the "Gripen" has somewhat been overshadowed by the former two.

Previously, in its 16th round of military aid to Ukraine last year, Sweden also provided two ASC-890 "airborne surveillance and control aircraft"—that is, the Saab 340B AEW-300 "Erieye" radar aircraft. Although the delivery time of these two radar aircraft to Ukraine has not been announced yet, the Swedish government has stated that they will provide Ukraine with new capabilities in aerial and maritime target surveillance and strike. Therefore, when the "Gripen" fighter jets arrive in Ukraine, they will allow Ukraine to achieve a "same soup, same food" system between the "Erieye" radar aircraft and the "Gripen" fighter jets. This system was previously seen in the Thai Air Force, where two Saab 340B AEW "Erieye" aircraft equipped with the earlier FSR-890 radar system were sold to Thailand before.

The Saab 340B AEW-300 "Erieye" radar aircraft of the Swedish Air Force, which were decided to be provided to Ukraine in last year's aid plan

Since its introduction into service in 1996, Saab has produced approximately 280 units of various types of "Gripen" fighter jets. In addition to the Swedish Air Force, countries such as Thailand, South Africa, Czech Republic, Hungary, etc., have introduced the JAS-39C/D fighters through purchase or lease. Brazil ordered 36 JAS-39E/F in 2014. In addition, Thailand announced in August of last year the purchase of 12 JAS-39E/F to replace the F-16A/B aircraft. However, the number of aircraft used by the above export countries varies from more than ten to dozens. If this intention of Ukraine is implemented, it will not only mean that the Ukrainian Air Force will first be equipped with fourth-and-a-half-generation fighter jets with active electronically scanned array radar through newly produced JAS-39E/F, but it will also become the largest export order in the history of the "Gripen", exceeding the total of all previous export orders.

The JAS-39E (Brazilian domestic model F-39E) ordered by Brazil was delivered earlier than the Swedish Air Force, and it was the first fourth-and-a-half-generation fighter jet in Latin America equipped with active electronically scanned array radar. Social media

However, considering the total production so far and the historical records of deliveries to foreign customers, the delivery speed of the "Gripen" fighter jets is relatively not optimistic. The three-year delivery period for the first new aircraft mentioned by the Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson is still an optimistic estimate, to the extent that he also admitted that this was the beginning of a "10 to 15-year long phase"; another visible issue is that whether it is second-hand JAS-39C/D or newly produced JAS-39E/F, the source of the funds for purchasing the aircraft remains an unavoidable issue. Kristersson stated that large-scale financing work will be carried out in the future, and these funds may come from the frozen Russian assets previously held by Western countries, or donations from member countries of the "voluntary alliance" of Western countries providing military aid to Ukraine. However, there is still a lot of work to be done before signing the final agreement.

This article is an exclusive article by Observer Net. Without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7564355059723682319/

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