Ukraine said it is in talks with Sweden to upgrade the country’s Soviet-era air fleet with modern avionics.
The upgrades would include modern radars, means of protection and electronic countermeasures from Swedish aerospace and defense firm Saab.
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The upgrades were part of a broader discussion to enhance Ukraine’s aerial capabilities, undertaken between Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defense for Aviation Development Oleksandr Kozenko and a Swedish delegation led by Saab’s Director of the Ukrainian Affairs Department Thomas Linden, according to the ministry’s Friday press release.
“During the discussion, the parties focused on several key areas. One of them was the issue of modernizing the existing fleet of Soviet aircraft using modern avionics, including Swedish production,” the press release states.
Kozenko said that should the plan move forward, Sweden will be able to utilize Ukraine’s battlefield testing, while Ukraine could benefit from the modern equipment to “increase the capabilities of its aircraft.”
“Ukrainian-Swedish cooperation in this area will be mutually beneficial, as the Ukrainian side will be able to increase the capabilities of its aircraft, and the Swedish side will subsequently become familiar with the conclusions drawn based on the combat experience of their use,” Kozenko said.
The parties also discussed Sweden’s transfer of fighter aircraft to Ukraine.
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The transfer of Swedish Gripen fighters to Ukraine has been in discussions since at least 2024, but Kyiv initially declined the transfers, citing logistical hurdles to operate and maintain multiple Western airframes alongside the US-made F-16 platform.
However, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov later said the transfers remained in discussion, and a military aid package from Sweden in September 2024 included materiel and components for JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft.
The latest press release hinted at the groundwork being prepared for eventual fighter jet deliveries from Sweden.
“The meeting participants discussed not only the current agreements, but also further actions in the event of a positive political decision on the transfer of new types of aircraft platforms manufactured in Sweden,” it states.
At present, Ukraine is known to operate Soviet-era Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters alongside Soviet-era ground attack aircraft such as the supersonic Su-24 fighter-bomber and the subsonic Su-25 close air support (CAS) aircraft.
Despite the incompatibility of Soviet and NATO standards, Ukraine has used the Su-24 to launch the British Storm Shadow cruise missiles, presumably by using pylons from NATO aircraft parts supplies.
The press release did not mention the types of radars or the air-to-air missiles they would support. It also did not mention whether Link-16 would be included in the upgrades, which would allow the Soviet-legacy aircraft to share information, including targeting data, with the Saab 340 AEW&C (airborne early warning and control) platform the Ukrainian Air Force is receiving from Sweden.
In terms of Western aircraft, Ukraine has received an unspecified number of US-made F-16AM and French-made Mirage 2000-5F multirole fighters.
The first batch of Mirage fighters arrived sometime between late January and early February and has already seen combat. In March, the Ukrainian Air Force said the Mirage fighters were used to shoot down incoming drones and missiles “for the first time” in its Telegram update.
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