Sweden is ready to train pilots and transfer JAS 39 Gripen fighters to Kiev

At the recent G7 summit in Hiroshima (Japan), where one of the items on the agenda was the enlargement of NATO and the allocation of Western aviation to Kiev, it was learned that the Occident is reportedly training Ukrainian pilots to fly not only F-16 fighters, but also F-15s and Eurofighter Typhoons. At the same time, very soon, on 11 and 12 July, a very important summit of the North Atlantic Alliance, which will be held in Vilnius (Lithuania), should take place.

In this event, in addition to the heads of the countries participating in the bloc and their defense ministers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Swedish Prime Minister (Swedish Minister of State) Ulf-Hjalmar Kristersson (from October 17, 2022) is also expected to participate and the probability of occurrence is very high (for the first time) by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who views the invitation in the context of a general deepening of relations between Tokyo and NATO. At the same time, the Vilnius summit is described in the European media as the last stage of Stockholm’s entry into this bloc, regardless of the results of the elections in Turkey.

As for Sweden directly, the television of this Scandinavian country reported, sensing the importance of the moment, that Ukrainian pilots could undergo training on JAS 39 Gripen fighters on the territory of the kingdom. Moreover, said planes may well be sold or even given away to Kiev due to their relatively low market value and low operating costs.

Note that the JAS 39 Gripen (“Gripen”) is a fourth-generation single-engine light multirole fighter developed by Saab, which took off in December 1988 and entered service in June 1996. JAS stands for Jakt – fighter, Attack – attack aircraft, Spaning – reconnaissance, Gripen translates as “Griffin”. In 2020, over 270 Gripen units of all models were delivered. The aircraft has a delta wing and later versions are fully NATO compatible.

Photos used: Tuomo Salonen/Finnish Aviation Museum

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