KIEV (dpa-AFX) – The Ukrainian military leadership says it is negotiating with Sweden about receiving Gripen fighter aircraft. “The Swedish side could hand over to Ukraine the amount (of fighter jets) it has so far,” Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat said on television on Sunday. He did not want to give exact numbers. He pointed out that Sweden wanted to replace the Gripen it had previously used with new, technically upgraded and improved models. Ukrainian pilots have already tested aircraft.
Ihnat did not want to comment on the status of the negotiations. “But if the decision is made for the Gripen, it will be a good option for us,” he said. However, Ukraine will continue to hold on to the American-made F-16 as the backbone of its future air force. Several countries have promised the Ukraine F-16, and once pilot training has been completed, the first machines are to be handed over at the beginning of next year.
The Gripen (Greif) is a multi-role fighter aircraft from the Swedish manufacturer Saab that entered service in the mid-1990s. The aircraft is designed, among other things, for use in extreme winter weather and can also take off from poor and short runways, such as motorway sections./cha/DP/mis