Yurii Ihnat, head of the communications department of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that the production and transfer of Gripen fighters is a complex and lengthy process. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson believes that the delivery of the aircraft could begin within three years.
Ukrainians should not expect Swedish Gripen fighters to quickly appear in our country's airspace. The production and transfer of such high-tech weapons is a complex and lengthy process, said Yuriy Ihnat, head of the communications department of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on the air of the national telethon, writes UNN.
Details
We will not talk about the word "soon" so hastily, because the aviation component is a high-tech weapon, and no country in the world can produce it quickly. Airplanes are something that is not easy to buy, and in fact impossible to buy. These are intergovernmental agreements, it is not sold just like that, so it is extremely difficult
– Ihnat said.
According to him, the prospect of receiving Gripen is an important and positive signal for Ukraine, as it provides an opportunity to strengthen the aviation component and gradually replace the worn-out fleet of Soviet aircraft.
Gripen as an aircraft will be available for mastering. Moreover, it is a simpler machine to operate. The prospect of receiving Gripen is a good sign for the country, in order to strengthen our aviation component
– Ihnat emphasized.
The military stressed that updating the aviation fleet is of strategic importance for Ukraine in the long term.
Addition
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson signed a letter of intent on cooperation in the field of air capabilities development between the countries. Within the framework of the future agreement, Ukraine will be able to purchase up to 150 JAS 39 Gripen aircraft in the E modification.
Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson considers it possible to start supplying JAS 39 Gripen fighters in the E modification to Ukraine within three years, as the country has only just begun to deploy production.
