The Ukrainian Air Force has been operating the Saab 340 AEW airborne early warning and control aircraft supplied by Sweden since March 2026. The aircraft is also known by its Swedish designation, ASC 890.
The information was disclosed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence in a September 4, 2026, report covering the broader activities of the Air Force Capability Coalition, which Ukraine operates together with its Western partners.
Read more: Saab Flies Gripen F for the First Time: What Is This Version, Why Does It Matter for Ukraine?
The details in the first sentence may raise some questions because Sweden announced in May 2024 that it would provide Ukraine with two Saab 340 AEW aircraft, also known as ASC 890. Sweden’s official documents later confirmed that the donation consists of two ASC 890 aircraft.
Against this background, two possibilities remain. Ukraine may ultimately have received only one of the aircraft mentioned above. Alternatively, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence may have used the singular term “ASC 890 aircraft” simply as a stylistic way of referring to the type of aircraft that has strengthened the Ukrainian Air Force.
Either way, this represents a historically important capability boost. During the previous 34 years of Ukraine’s independence, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had no dedicated airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft of their own for monitoring the airspace.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence also states that the information provided by the Saab 340 AEW can be used by F-16, Mirage 2000 and JAS 39 Gripen fighters. The latter will join the Ukrainian Air Force in the future. This suggests that Soviet-designed fighters such as the MiG-29 and Su-27 cannot directly receive targeting or situational-awareness data from the Swedish AWACS aircraft, at least not through the same level of integration described for the Western fighter fleet.
It is worth briefly recalling what the Saab 340 AEW can bring to the battlefield. The aircraft can detect various types of targets at ranges of roughly 100 to 400 km, while its endurance allows it to conduct continuous patrols for up to five hours.
Defense Express previously reported on how long Ukraine’s Saab 340 AEW aircraft could remain in service and why Poland provides a particularly relevant example for Ukraine.
Read more: Saab Announces When Its Unmanned A3 Fighter Jet Will Be Released, But Sets a Key Condition
