Construction time: Saab boss says Gripens destined to fight Russia may be built in Ukraine
Up to 150 Gripen jets are being supplied to Kyiv – with final assembly potentially being carried out inside Ukraine, Saab's chief executive has revealed.
Micael Johansson told the Financial Times his company was prepared to set up a factory so the construction of the warplanes could be finished off in Ukraine.
Last week, Sweden and Ukraine agreed to cooperate in the field of developing air capabilities, with the Gripen deal being part of this.
Ukraine currently operates a mixed fleet of Soviet and Western-designed warplanes, and example of the latter being the US-designed F-16 Fighting Falcon.
But Ukraine needs quantity as well as quality, and large numbers of these aircraft are not available at the moment.
While the F-16 remains a formidable aircraft, the Gripen is more modern, can operate away from airfields and is relatively cheap to buy and run.
The ability to upgrade an aircraft to face changing threats is also an important factor.
Current versions of aircraft, like the aforementioned F-16 and AH-64 Apache, may look similar to how they appeared when they first flew in the mid-1970s, but are very different war machines.
Saab is well aware of this, and the Gripen is similarly designed to be upgraded at various points in its lifecycle.
It said: "We think 'smart' is all about what's on the inside of a fighter, not what's on the outside. Gripen's unique avionics architecture is the definition of smart.
Exciting? No. A game-changer? Yes
"It might not sound exciting, but it is a game-changer. It means we can reconfigure the inside of Gripen without affecting the airframe.
"Or put another way, we can rapidly upgrade Gripen's avionics whenever new technology becomes available."
Like the Draken and Viggen that came before it, the Gripen has proved a success story for Saab, with the type used by six main operators, including Sweden.
Earlier this month, Saab announced the extension of an existing contract and receipt of an order for support and maintenance services for its Gripen C/D and E variants.
The Gripen E is the latest single-seat variant, which will be operated - at least initially - by Sweden and Brazil, while Brazil has also opted to fly several two-seat F models.
The British Embassy in Stockholm was quick to point out the UK connection to the E type.
It posted on Instagram: "The first JAS 39 Gripen E fighter jets are here... did you know that 37% of their parts are made in the UK?"
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