Ukraine says it wants to buy up to 150 Saab Gripen E fighters over the next 10 years and Russian oligarchs might foot part of the bill. The war-torn country aims to modernize its cobbled-together air force that includes Russian-built Cold War relics and a few F-16s and Dassault Mirages. The Gripen E is a Generation 4.5 fighter that, while it lacks the stealth capabilities of the F-35 and F-22, has much of the electronic gear to find enemy aircraft and also avoid them and ground threats. But the most important advantage of the Gripens is their designed-in capability to operate from roads, unimproved runways, and any other relatively straight and level surface with minimal ground support so the fleet can disperse when adversaries strike their bases.
“Now a historic step—the agreement with Sweden on Gripen combat aircraft—and this is a good choice,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on a social media post. “We are counting on 150 such aircraft for Ukraine, and the first ones should arrive next year.” Zelenskyy reportedly sealed the deal with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson last week, and the two countries are discussing financing options. Swedish officials have said some of the many billions of dollars needed will come from the seized assets of Russian individuals and companies resulting from sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This is perfect fit for Ukraine. The ability to operate from mobile bases and backroads ensures their asymmetrical warfare advantage.
I like the idea that at least some of the money will come from the Russian oligarchs that support Putin and his barbaric war.
Is that a Maple leaf I see on the vertical?
Trump will never allow Ukraine to buy 150 fighters from Sweden. He has already declared Ukraine, and Europeon NATO members will only buy military weapons from the US, to be used in the West’s war against Russia. Why? To help pay for Obama’s support and direct involvement in the Maidon Coup removing the duly elected pro-Russian President via Victoria Nuland, US Ambassador Pyatt, and the CIA by creating and funding this insurrection 2014 two years before his term was over. Followed with signing Minkst I and Minkst II agreements in Sept 2014, promising with France and Germany as guarantures, NATO would stay out of Ukraine …which a few months later, over a hot mike, Ms Merkal famously said NATO, France and Germany was intentionally not to live up to them, signing these agreements only to buy time for NATO to train and equip Ukraine’s then virtually non-existent military. Followed by Trump 1.0 funding thru the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a U.S. Department of Defense program that provided funding for military training, military equipment, logistics, funding Ukraine’s government, including social programs, government payroll , pensions, and NATO weapons for Ukraine. Biden, again under Victoria Nuland’s leadership further bolstered USAI support to the tune of an additional $1.3 billion dollars so that by December 2021, Ukraine had 260,000+NATO trained and fully equipped active duty personnel, 102,000 fully trained and equipped special paramilitary forces, and 900,000 NATO trained and equipped reservists… that is over 1.2 million people in Ukraine’s military…equipped with long range weapons as well…second only to the US combined military of 1.3 million…sitting on Russia’s border. In addition, to shelling Ukrainian Russians in the Ukraine Donbas by the Ukrainian NATO led Army since 2014 killing over 14,000, and wounding tens of thousands of men, women, and children. Don’t forget the 20 CIA bases. Don’t forget the 6 biolabs either all sitting in Ukraine either by December 2021. To suggest all of this clearly recorded in the history books is no provocation to Russia is beyond ludicrous.
So, how is all of this non-provocative behavior working out?
1.5 million+ Ikrainian KIA with an additional 2 million wounded never to return to battle. 90,000 Russians KIA. After adding German Leopard tanks, British Challenger tanks, US Abram’s tanks, F-16’s from Holland, Patriot and Javelin missles, THAAD’s,! NATO’s latest drone technology, and delpleting the US inventory of reserve oil, 105 mm shells, and virtually all of it’s offensive and defensive weaponry… with limited manufacturing capacity to replace all that… has been used up in this non-provocative, undeclared war on Russia…ALL PAID FOR ON BORROWED US TAXPAYER MONEY … helping to enlarge our national debt to $38 trillion dollars+ and exploding… accelerating sending our economy into bankruptcy. Trump 2.0 declared that since August 2025, NATO’s war on Russia will be funded by US manufactured military hardware that we cannot produce, purchased by BK Ukraine, BK EU NATO nations such as Great Britain, France, and Germany with no manufacturing capacity nor economy, nor will to pay for their borrowing in this non-provocative undeclared war. Ukraine’s military is on the verge of total collapse and defeat, has no fuel and limited electricity, whose army is completely surrounded, with virtually no trained manpower, F-16’s gone, no air cover, depending on US intelligence and US manpower to launch occasional strikes into Russia which they largely destroy leaving the US led NATO with no options outside of nukes. Putin just announced their nuclear powered cruise missles that can loiter indefinitely, can carry a nuclear warhead, change directions, altitude, and speed, totally stealthy…of which we have NO capacity to stop… that can hit any target in the US of A at will. Hell, we don’t even have hypersonic missle technology, , modern drone capability, nor the capacity to defend our Navy in a less than peer war as demonstrated in the Red Sea. F-35’s still have less than 40% readiness, not stealthy, and 19 B2’s which have also readiness issues. This makes aging F-22’s no longer in production, aging FA/18, F-16- and F-15’s our front line offensive/defensive fighters with a handful of B-52’s that are nothing more than flying targets. Plenty of Red and Blue participation in the non-provocative, unrelated war on Russia via the now decimated Ukrainian battering ram that was intentionally designed by Obama, Trump 1.0, Biden, and Trump 2.0’s administrations attempts to instigate a Russian regime change…making equal red and blue involvement. And we have not talked about the Middle East non-declared war and its drain on our battered, tired, and nearly broke US Taxpayer. Let the sparks fly! If printed, I am sure there will be plenty of proverbial flak denying the obvious but inconvenient truth. But no amount of mainstream propaganda can cover up history already lived.
The Gripen E appears to be a practical fit for Ukraine, built for road operations, quick turnarounds, and low-cost upkeep. It’s tough, modern, and suited to the kind of fight Ukraine faces. But it’s not free from politics, since the U.S.-made GE F414 engine still gives Washington leverage over deliveries. If that spigot ever closed, production would slow but not stop. So the Gripen’s a good choice, just not a fully independent one. For now.
Wow, I can barely catch my (someone else’s) breath. I still think that’s a stylized maple leaf on the Gripen’E’s tailfeathers.
Czech Republic insignia.
Couldn’t resist!