Swedish government has announced another military aid provision to Ukraine which is most notable by the part about the "orientation training for Ukrainian pilots and associated aircraft technical staff on JAS 39."
The decision is explained by the fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine consider Gripen as one of the "urgent" options of Western fighter aircraft to strengthen their air defense with.
Read more: JAS 39 Gripen or Su-27: Which Fighter is Better Depends on Very Specific Conditions
As a reminder, earlier this May Swedish defense minister Pål Jonson suggested a training course for Ukrainians as a viable option, now the deal is sealed officially. In fact, Gripen was in the view of the Ukrainian Air Force even before the full-scale invasion of russia in 2022. Even then, it had already been considered one of the best options for a future fighter for Ukraine.
Training course on JAS 39 Gripen effectively means that this aircraft will be provided to Ukraine after all, although the main focus in the public domain shifted toward F-16 over the past year and a half. Now decommissioned Australian F/A-18 are on the table of promising options, too.
The main issue now is who will agree to donor JAS 39 Gripens. Sweden has 96 aircraft but said multiple times all those are important to ensure the country's own safety. Another Gripen operator is the Czech Republic, which has kept 14 leased aircraft since 2003; and Hungary that leased the same number of jets around the same time.
But for these countries, the leasing ends only in 2026 and 2027, respectively, it hardly fits the "urgency" Ukraine seeks in Gripen. There is also Brazil that ordered new 37 Gripen NG aircraft. Though given the country's attitude toward the war in Ukraine, receiving any from Brazil seems very unlikely. The same goes for Thailand with its 12 fighter jets.
There are also 26 aircraft in South Africa but their condition raises concerns since the country started decommissioning them in 2021 due to lack of funds for maintenance. Some of the aircraft were disassembled into spare parts.
The bottom line is, although Ukrainian personnel finally get to start learning JAS 39 Gripen, the issue of where Ukraine plans to acquire them is still open. Although there is an interesting option: if Sweden decides to terminate the leasing agreement with Hungary if the latter keeps blocking Sweden's accession to NATO, and gives these aircraft to Ukraine instead.
Read more: Ukraine’s Defense Minister Reveals Details of How Ukrainian F-16 Pilots Will Get Training
