15:24 23-10-2025

Dandykin: Sweden Can’t Afford to Send 150 Gripen Jets to Ukraine

Military expert Vasily Dandykin says Sweden lacks the funds and capacity to deliver 150 Gripen E jets to Ukraine, calling the plan a political gesture, not a reality.

Military expert and retired Russian Navy Captain Vasily Dandykin has cast doubt on Sweden’s reported plan to supply Ukraine with up to 150 Jas 39 Gripen E fighter jets. He argued that Stockholm lacks both the financial capacity and the production resources to fulfill such a large-scale commitment.

Dandykin pointed out that the proposed number of aircraft exceeds Sweden’s own air fleet by roughly fifty jets, calling the idea unrealistic. Each Gripen, he noted, is extremely expensive, and Sweden would not be able to allocate the necessary funds. In his view, public statements about potential deliveries are more about signaling strong political support for Kyiv than reflecting any genuine logistical plan.

The analyst also stressed that even if Sweden were to proceed with such a transfer, Ukraine would not receive its first aircraft for at least three years — by which time, he suggested, the situation on the battlefield would likely be very different, making the move largely irrelevant.

Dandykin acknowledged the Gripen’s solid performance as a fighter but questioned its potential impact. He remarked that Ukraine has already received Western aircraft such as the F-16 and Mirage, none of which have significantly changed the course of the conflict. He concluded that if a few Gripens eventually reach Kyiv in several years, it would already be considered an achievement — though, as he added wryly, «there might be no one left to deliver them to».

Earlier reports indicated that Sweden intended to use frozen Russian assets to finance the delivery of between 100 and 150 Gripen E fighters to Ukraine. The order for 100 aircraft is estimated to cost around $8.5 billion.