On March 7, 2024, Sweden has become the 32nd NATO member. This event was perceived in Ukraine with some hope, as Stockholm has repeatedly stated its readiness to provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with its JAS 39 Gripen aircraft after joining the Alliance and transitioning to the collective security system. However, almost a month has passed, and there has been no visible progress on the topic of transfer Swedish aircraft to Ukraine.
But on the other hand, the question of when the previously promised F-16 aircraft will actually be delivered to Ukraine seems more pressing now.
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According to the Kyiv Independent, the Minister for Defense of Sweden Pål Jonson has recently commented on the topic of the JAS 39 Gripen aircraft being transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In particular Jonson told that the possibility of supplying Gripen to Ukraine was not excluded. So "the deliberations are ongoing, and they take place within the fighter jet coalition" but the priority is now the F-16 to protect Ukrainian skies. Moreover, Sweden is also a member of this coalition.
In addition, Pål Jonson emphasized that it was important to solve the problem of ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, Nammo, a Norwegian-Finnish ammunition manufacturer, which has production facilities in Sweden, is working on this.
Thus, it can be concluded that the speed of the decision on the JAS 39 Gripen aircraft for the Armed Forces of Ukrine may be influenced by two main factors: the speed of the transfer and training of crew of the F-16 fighters, and the speed of solving the problem of ammunition for Ukrainian army.
Earlier Defense Express reported about a chance that France would give all decommissioned weaponry to Ukraine, including VAB APCs, Leclerc tanks and Mirage fighters.
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