French HAMMER Guided Bombs to Be Integrated With Ukrainian Gripen Aircraft

French AASM Hammer precision-guided aerial bombs equipped with rocket motors are being integrated onto Gripen fighter aircraft intended for Ukraine.

French Aid to Europe reported on this, citing a publication by Le Figaro.

French and Swedish specialists will carry out the integration, primarily Saab, the manufacturer of the Gripen fighter, and the French company Safran, which produces AASM Hammer bombs.

Adapting the AASM Hammer for the Gripen will allow the new Western fighter aircraft to employ a munition already in operational use by Ukraine, without the need to develop a separate air-launched weapon.

This requires ensuring compatibility between the bomb and the aircraft’s weapon stations, weapon management systems, and target-data transfer interfaces.

The integration of AASM Hammer will mark an important step in expanding the weapon portfolio available to the Gripen fighter jet, which has previously had limited strike capabilities.

France previously positioned the AASM Hammer primarily as a weapon for its Rafale fighter aircraft, and its employment has been closely associated with that platform.

Ukrainian military personnel are already using AASM Hammer bombs. These munitions were previously adapted for deployment from MiG-29 fighter aircraft and later from Su-25 attack aircraft.

Militarnyi previously reported that in May 2026, Sweden announced it was ready to provide Ukraine with 16 Gripen C/D fighter aircraft free of charge.

In June 2026, Ukraine and Sweden signed a contract to procure the first 16 fighter aircraft of the newer Gripen E version. Delivery of the aircraft is expected to begin in early 2029.

Along with the fighter aircraft, Ukraine will receive the necessary equipment, as well as logistical and technical support.

Meanwhile, Ukraine and Swedish company Saab are negotiating a significantly larger agreement. The potential deal involves the delivery of up to 150 Gripen fighter aircraft for the Ukrainian Air Force. According to Saab’s CEO, negotiations are at an advanced stage.

A separate area of cooperation will be localizing Gripen production in Ukraine. In the long term, plans call for establishing aircraft assembly and individual-component production at Ukrainian enterprises. Production localization is not expected to begin before 2033.

At the same time, Ukraine is already preparing personnel to operate these fighter aircraft. Ukrainian pilots and technical personnel are training in Sweden, where they are learning to operate the Gripen and become familiar with its operational specifics.

AASM Hammer

AASM Hammer (Armement Air-Sol Modulaire) is a French modular guidance and glide system developed by Safran Electronics & Defense. It converts standard unguided free-fall bombs into precision-guided munitions.

Hammer is not a standalone bomb. It is a guidance kit fitted to standard aerial bombs weighing 125, 250, 500, or 1,000 kg. The system can be used with Mk 82, Mk 83, Mk 84, and BLU-109 penetrator bombs.

A key advantage of AASM Hammer is the modularity of its guidance system. Safran offers three main configurations: an inertial navigation system with satellite-aided INS/GPS guidance, INS/GPS combined with infrared homing, and INS/GPS combined with laser guidance.

The inertial-satellite guidance system enables the munition to be employed in a wide range of weather conditions and in environments where satellite navigation is subject to interference or degraded availability. The infrared-guided variant is designed to provide greater accuracy during the terminal phase of flight, while the laser-guided variant is intended, among other applications, for engaging targets with known coordinates as well as moving targets.

The weapon’s range depends on the release altitude and speed, as well as the specific munition configuration. For the baseline version, Safran states a range of more than 70 km.

The AASM Hammer includes a range-extension system with a solid-fuel rocket motor. As a result, after release, the munition does not simply glide but receives additional thrust to extend its flight range.

In the newer Hammer 250 XLR and Hammer 1000 XLR variants, the developers are working to further increase the engagement range. Unlike the baseline configurations, these versions are expected to feature a different propulsion system and an extended range.