The Ukrainian Air Force could get a boost sometime in the future as NATO allies, including Sweden and France, are reportedly considering arming Kyiv with Gripen fighter jets and Mirage 2000-5, respectively.
Amid continued cooperation with Ukraine, Sweden has signalled that it is open to selling the Saab Gripen-E/F fighter jet.
Speaking to Breaking Defense during the MSPO defense expo in Poland that concluded on September 5, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said that it could eventually sell the Gripen-E/F, the most advanced variant of the Gripen aircraft, to Ukraine. However, the sale would take place only after the end of the war with Russia, he emphasised.
“We have a dialogue also with Ukraine, and since they certainly expressed an interest in the Gripen system … predominantly Gripen Echo, the new version that Sweden, Brazil are operating as well,” then a future sale is a possibility, Jonson said. “That case … would be more of a long-term endeavor or building a common air force capability as well,” in the same way other buyers have benefited from acquiring the Saab aircraft.
This may be the first time that Sweden has openly talked about the prospect of selling the Gripen-E/F to Ukraine. Sweden has been aggressively pushing the aircraft in the export market after a decade of losing contests to other competitors, such as the American F-35 and the French Rafale. The decade-long lull broke only recently when it signed a contract for the sale of its most advanced fighter jet with Thailand.
❗️🇸🇪Sweden has announced its readiness to consider supplying modern JAS 39 Gripen E fighters to 🇺🇦Ukraine after the end of the war with 🇷🇺Russia. pic.twitter.com/wk2pDUq5fI
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) September 4, 2025
Meanwhile, Ukraine has lobbied with Sweden for the transfer of older JAS-39 fighters for nearly three years, albeit unsuccessfully.
Despite securing the F-16 and the Mirage 2000-5, the Ukrainian administration has been unable to secure the JAS-39 Gripen.
In 2023, Sweden indicated that it was evaluating the possibility of a limited transfer of its older Gripen jets to Ukraine. It also offered the Ukrainian pilots an opportunity to receive training on the aircraft.
By July 2024, Sweden indicated openness to providing Gripens after the “F-16 program is completed,” with decisions depending on Kyiv’s priorities. However, the proposal was subsequently shelved as NATO allies cautioned that integrating two different Western-origin fighters at once could put pressure on logistics and training.
While the French President Emmanuel Macron promised and delivered the Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets, Sweden has only encouraged Ukraine to prioritize integrating F-16s first.
Sweden has taken time to evaluate the possible effects of this transfer on its own defense capabilities and to estimate how quickly it would be able to acquire new Gripen aircraft should the jets be given to Ukraine.
With about 70 Gripen C and 23 Gripen D (two-seater) aircraft in its inventory as of November 2024, the Swedish Air Force is set to deploy the more advanced and powerful Gripen E type.
Notably, the Swedish reluctance has persisted even though experts have repeatedly endorsed the Swedish Gripen as the most suitable combat aircraft to counter Russia.
For example, UK-based experts claimed that the Swedish aircraft is “by far the most suitable candidate” for Western-made fighter jets regarding operational needs for Ukrainian air defense in a 2022 Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) report.
The Gripen was specifically designed with a threat from Russia in mind. This aircraft can take off and land quickly, allowing it to operate from taxiways, small public airports, and motorways. This allows them to undertake scattered operations.
Additionally, the aircraft does not need to be at set facilities for maintenance and repair, as designated mobile maintenance crews use military vehicles and vans to deliver fuel, ammo, and other components to the aircraft’s position.
SAAB claims that refueling and rearming, including reloading the cannon and adding air-to-air missiles, can be completed in less than ten minutes with a single technician and five conscript mechanics. Thus, it is ideal for Ukraine, which is regularly bombarded by Russian drones and missiles.
Despite openly discussing a sale of Gripen-E to Ukraine, the Swedish Defense did not say anything about a potential transfer of older JAS-39 to the embattled country, which could be introduced at a far lesser cost and more quickly as compared to the newer Gripen-E/F.
More Mirage-2000 Jets For Ukraine
The former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba recently told French publication Le Monde that Paris is poised to announce the transfer of 20 Mirage 2000 fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force.
“France will announce that it is giving 20 Mirage [fighter jets] instead of 10,” Kuleba said. “This is very important, but it will not change the course of the war.”
Dmytro Kuleba was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine from March 2020 to September 2024. He played a central role in mobilizing international support for Kyiv after the Russian invasion of February 2022. He was speaking at an interview with the French publication in late August 2025.
Although not verified by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense or their French counterparts, the statement is interesting because there are only 26 Mirage 2000-5 fighters left in the French inventory. This has piqued the interest of observers, who have questioned where the aircraft would be sourced from and whether they will be delivered this year.
France announced the transfer of Mirage 2000-5 jets to Ukraine on June 6, 2024, and the first jet arrived in the war-torn country on February 6, 2025, piloted by Ukrainian trainees.
The Mirage 2000-5 is a fourth-generation jet and belongs to the same class of aircraft as the F-16, which has been used by the Air Force since August 2024.
Both jets have been deployed for air defense and combat patrols. In March 2025, Ukrainian Mirages achieved their first combat successes by downing Russian missiles during a nighttime attack. At the time, videos showed these French-origin jets operating in coordinated teams with F-16s, Su-27s, and MiG-29s to destroy Russian targets.
The delivery of additional jets would reinforce the small fleet of about 6-10 Mirage 2000-5 in Ukrainian service, which have already undergone attrition. The Ukrainian Air Force lost its first French Mirage 2000-5 in a crash in July 2025, due to the failure of aviation equipment in the flight director.
While there were no casualties, the incident marked a big setback to the Ukrainian military, which has so far lost at least four F-16s.
The Mirage 2000-5 variant supplied to Ukraine includes upgraded avionics, radar, and compatibility with advanced missiles like the MBDA MICA for air-to-air engagements and SCALP-EG for air-to-ground strikes. It is highly maneuverable and effective for air superiority, interception, and ground attack roles.
The aircraft has been modified to make it better suited for the conflict in Ukraine. Speaking of these modifications earlier, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said,“ The aim is to equip them with air-to-ground combat capabilities and reinforce their electronic warfare system.” Mirage-2000 was originally designed for air-to-air combat.
Since the delivery of promised F-16s is far from complete and the Saab Gripen remains out of reach for Ukraine, the delivery of additional Mirage 2000-5 jets will significantly bolster Ukraine’s air defense capability at a time when Russia has intensified its aerial strikes.
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