Saab Gripen: The easy-to-fly fighter jet that could be on its way to Ukraine

27 comments

1. i want one.

2. Just an UNPROVEN machine

3. Realistically that jet wouldn't last against Russian Jets.

4. The empathy and understanding exchanged here warm the heart, fostering a sense of connection.😛

5. A damn site more appropriate for Ukraine than the F16 which requires far too much maintenance and ground support.

6. Good news.

7. Small weapon load though

8. Ukrainians assemble the Gripens and end up with 3 dowels and 4 screws left over.

9. This was supposed to be in Ukraine a year ago. As usual, Sweden is too slow and too scared to do anything substantial

10. One of the prettiest and the sleekest looking jets around! The Swedes are the best weapon engineers! 🇸🇪 👏💪👍

11. The old Swedish heads told the younger politicians months ago," We have yet to see what the real cost will be ". to join NATO.

12. I love that the Swedes have airbases on their public roads… or used to. They can rapidly bring them back into use in no time at all I bet.

13. Very nice. Canada, UK, and the Baltics need a lot of these. They complement the F35 and the Euro fighter

14. Fab

15. I was fortunate to meet Major 'Sunshine' at RIAT 2022. He's very knowledgeable and friendly.

16. Far superior to f16 as the Nato games have proved !!!

17. Also crucial, it's STOL capacity of course, and the ability to take off from highways. And well, the Swedes sell it as the ultimate "MiG killer", so that too might help. While hoping it also loves to "eat" Sukhoi et al.

18. Mig-31BM be like: "..oh, you want some of this too? Bring it…"

19. How can it be "cost effective" when Ukraine isn't buying any of this stuff?
    Perhaps the "least expensive to give away"?

20. This is what is needed. Not F16s. Quick, Easy to Fly, Reduced Training, Reduced Cost. Right tool for the right job.

21. More front-line countries, countries that border Russia, where all of their airfields are within FPV drone range of Russia, should be buying Gripen. Easier to fly from highways. Easier to train ground crew. And cheaper, so they can buy more.

22. If we'd ordered Gripens for Ukraine back in 2022, when Phase II of the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian War kicked off, Ukraine would have had its own fighter jets flying for a year already. Instead we're waiting for the war to end before we send the F-16s in.

23. I very much hope, that Ukraine gets 12-14 Gripen.
    This was what I said from the beginning of this war, that this plane is ideal for Ukraine.. it can use roads, it can rearm quickly, it is strong in electronic warfare. And probably it´s strong electronic warfare is the reason why it did not go to Ukraine until today – Sweden did not want that Russians can find out too many details about it.

24. Germany should order 100 of them and lease also some to Ukraine. As counter business Sweden could order 500 German tanks.
    We in Germany need an airplane that can be used on roads and which is easy to maintain. We have too much high-tech and no practical things, as usual.

25. Now the UK also has Sweden to cower behind.

26. I had a really interesting chat with their ground team at RIAT 24 as they demo’ed reloading the Meteor missile in 2 minutes.

    The turnaround between missions is 20 minutes, run by a technician and 4 conscripts: reload, refuel and launch.

    Perfect for Ukraine!

27. True but the critical fact is that isnt enough for a sustained conflict
    if you factor in mission needs, losses , accidents and maintenance
    Ukraine would need 40-60 planes, There are only 300 JAS-39s built
    With the F-16
    there are over 4600 built
    Enough for Ukraine needs right now
    For the future, yes buy JAS-39E/F but for now
    its F-16