Sweden, Ukraine to launch joint defense innovation hub
“We will establish personnel and work with defense innovation. Swedish personnel will be on site,” Jonson said, emphasizing that the initiative will focus on developing new weapons technologies, although no immediate production is planned.
Jonson also outlined Sweden’s intention to deliver Gripen E fighter jets to Ukraine within three years, including pilot and technician training. Shmyhal added that while the contract timeline is expected to be finalized within days, Ukraine will seek early delivery of existing aircraft as soon as next year. “We insist that it be 2026, and we are negotiating with partners about this. The production of the E/F Gripen will begin a little later,” he explained, noting that local production in Ukraine would evolve “from large-scale assembly to the localization of individual parts” and describing the deal as “the largest ever on the European continent.”
Training for Ukrainian pilots and mechanics is expected to coincide with the arrival of the first Gripens. “We plan to combine the training of pilots and mechanics with the receipt of the first Gripens,” Shmyhal added, also announcing the creation of two working groups — technical and financial — to manage the agreement’s preparation and funding.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who announced in October the initial document for establishing a Gripen fleet, called the deal a “historic step” toward enhancing Ukraine’s air power and long-term security. He noted the agreement could cover up to 150 Swedish-made Gripen combat aircraft, framing it as “a long-term security guarantee for a strong and modern independent Ukraine.”
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