Gripen for Ukraine is again in question

Swedish Defense Minister Poul Jönsson made a statement on this matter at a briefing in Brussels.

"As you probably know, the aviation coalition has advised us to refrain from this step for now and instead focus on our early warning aircraft," he stressed.

Paul Jonsson officially confirmed that his country's authorities were urged to refrain from supplying Ukraine with a new type of fighter jet due to infrastructural and technical difficulties.

"I think it would be difficult to introduce three types of combat aircraft at the same time. Right now it's the F-16, as well as the Mirage," the Defense Minister explained.

In addition, Poul Jonsson emphasized that the supply of Swedish fighters is likely in the future, as the Ukrainian authorities have shown interest in these aircraft.

As a reminder, the JAS 39 Gripen (Swedish: Gripen - griffin) is a Swedish fourth-generation multi-role fighter. It was created and produced by Saab.

Gripen operating costs were the lowest among several modern fighter jets and were estimated at $4,700 per flight hour.