Stockholm Offers Fighter Jets for Ukraine if Sweden is Allowed to Join NATO
The offer appeared to be the latest move in an ongoing diplomatic effort to persuade Turkey to drop its objection to Sweden joining the military alliance.
The Swedish defense ministry said on Friday it could contribute its Gripen warplanes to a Western coalition that is trying to speed fighter jets to Ukraine — but only after Sweden is allowed into NATO.
The offer, included in a $200 million package of weapons, 155-millimeter caliber ammunition and other defense support for Ukraine, was the latest move in an ongoing diplomatic effort to persuade Turkey to drop its objection to Sweden joining the military alliance.
“Support in the form of JAS-39 Gripen would be conditional on Sweden first becoming a member of NATO,” the Swedish Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Some Ukrainian pilots apparently finished their Gripen orientation about a month ago, according to the Swedish defence minister. The plane can operate with pretty minimal infrastructure and has a really low cost per flight hour (both in relative terms for a modern jet fighter, of course), so it seems like it's exactly the kind of thing Ukraine could do with even if it does take a bit of time to train on it